Stratagem
by Ukchana
Summary: “Well, I was mad at you, Heero,” Cathy replied quietly. “You go and try to kill yourself, then as soon as you really wake up and start to get better, Trowa goes and follows your ridiculous example.” XCanon and alt couplesX
1. Prologue and Chapter 1

**Stratagem**

by Ukchana and Crazy Elf Paladin

(Gundam Wing, its characters, story and concepts belong to their respective owners - not us. This work is a piece of intellectual property and as such, should not be considered copyright infringement under the Fair Use Act.)

* * *

**Prologue**

Colony L5-X6-73  
March 10th – 2:53 pm

Wu Fei stalked down the corridors outside the conference hall, snarling into the hand-held communicator. "I don't care if you secured the West wing TEN TIMES already, I want you to do it _again_."

Brushing past a group of tourists, the young Preventer scowled and looked over them, his sable eyes tracing their bodies in search of hidden weapons as the voice on the other line stuttered, "_But, Sir, there hasn't been any indication that anyone will strike here, it's just a standard diplomatic soirée—"_

"Do I have to . . . _talk_ . . . with you AGAIN, Agent Carter?" Wu Fei turned sharply in his pacing and began backtracking down the corridors again, his eyes flitting from one possible threat to another.

"_N-no, Sir."_

"Nothing," the slender man marched smartly through the colony conference building, "is _ever_ standard when it comes to terrorists. I should know," his mouth tightened. "I _was_ one. Out."

Just as he flipped the communicator shut, a sound began to whirr in the distance. Wu Fei stopped and tipped his head slightly, a barely perceptible wince to his dark eyes. _Helicopter . . . _ But the deep base tone belied civilian—

With a quick gasp of air, the Preventer burst through the wide double doors of the conference hall, racing through the crowds of startled dignitaries, his eyes on the large window to the speaker's back, where a soot-black Comanche suddenly loomed—

The booming purr of the gatling gun shattered through the glass, the thirty-foot panes showering the gathered diplomats, just as Wu Fei cleared the steps to the podium and swiped the crystal ash tray from it and flung it heavily at the figure manning the deck-gun—

­—

Relena carefully brushed the glass from her flaxen hair as four terrorists jumped through the window, bungee cords tethering them to the aircraft and assault rifles aimed at the cowering masses around them. Her mouth fell open as Wu Fei ignored the attacking men and instead leapt from the thirty-story window onto the helicopter.

"Senator Gerond, you're coming with us!" one of the fatigue-clothed men announced, grabbing the arm of a middle-aged gentleman next to her.

"What do you want with him?!" Relena demanded, and they turned to stare at her.

"Listen," the terrorist's green eyes narrowed, "we're not interested in you, Dorlan. I'm sure you'll get your chance to be abducted _again,_ sooner or later. As it is, step back," he aimed his gun at her, "or—"

With a yelp, all four men were instantly yanked through the window by their bungee cords, their cries continuing faintly from the outside.

Blinking, the young blonde stood up and pushed past the relieved but disturbed dignitaries to stick her head out the broken window-frame. "Wu _Fei_!" she cried over the thumping of the blades, tisking him.

Out in the fresh air of spring, the four gunmen grasped frantically to their tethers, wide eyes on the ground many yards below. In the cockpit of the military-class helicopter, the Chinese man sat, the unconscious pilot strung haphazardly across the other seat. With a very slight quirk to one side of his mouth, he turned his head from her and glanced down at the men begging to be 'rescued'. "Drop your weapons," he demanded, "and I'll probably let you live."

((()))

"He was too rash," Relena slammed her hands down on the board-room table. "First he throws an _ashtray_ at the gunner and then he _commandeers_ the aircraft!"Her sapphire eyes stared into each of them in turn. "A lot of people could have gotten hurt if it hadn't worked."

Relena, Wu Fei, Po and Director Une sat at a long table at the local Preventers headquarters, 'discussing' the recent attack while the media buzzed outside the draped windows.

Sally Po gave a low laugh, then replied, "But it _did_ work."

The subject of the argument remained silent, his onyx eyes resting on the mahogany before him.

"That," returned the Minister, "is not the point. What if he hadn't been able to quickly dispatch the pilot, and the helicopter crashed into the building?" Glaring at them, the slender young woman sat back down and crossed her arms. "No one is perfect one-hundred percent of the time."

Director Une raised her head, russet eyes hard. "Vice Foreign Minister," she began slowly, "while I appreciate your concern, I must return to the fact that, though Preventer Chang's actions were both improvisational and radical, he managed to contain the situation with the only damages being a broken window," she gave a quick, amused glance to the young man, "and a crystal ash tray that remains to be found."

Sighing, the honey-haired teenager conceded slightly. "I understand, and I appreciate it . . . I just . . ." She covered her eyes with a hand and slowly let out another breath. "This is the fourth incident with a government official in the same number of weeks."

The braided-haired woman folded her arms across her chest. "But that's exactly why we should be so thankful to have Wu Fei with us. If we could, I'd clone him," Po chuckled, cornflower-blue eyes twinkling as she glanced over at said specimen.

At this, the young Asian man finally lifted his head to glare at her. "If I recall, cloning is illegal."

Une frowned, then brought a hand to her chin. "Hmm . . . that's not a bad idea."

Gaping, Relena uncovered her eyes and sputtered, ". . . b-but . . ."

With a dark smile, the Director's gaze met her own. "Not a bad idea at all."

* * *

**Chapter 1**

Earth, Chicago  
April 7th – 10:45 am

"I'm sorry, Mister Yui," the elderly man chuckled nervously and clutched the edge of the wooden counter, "but you're really not what the Parkside Library is looking for in a librarian."

A young man with piercing navy eyes glared down at him, a swath of dark unruly hair shadowing his features. "I got a perfect score on the test." His deep voice lacked any emotion as he frigidly peered at the shorter gentleman. "Are you saying the test was unnecessary?"

Though his tone was hushed, visitors around him shirked away, and the old women further behind the desk watched him with fearful eyes and shaking hands.

"Well," returned the old librarian, his wrinkled mouth wobbling, "you see, it's not that. It's your lack of background."

"What do you mean 'lack of background'?" Heero asked calmly, eyes still glued to the senior.

"Um, well, you see," the frail man wiped sweat from his pallid brow, "you . . . you don't have the correct credentials."

"Credentials?"

With a ragged sigh, the balding librarian smoothed his mustard-colored sweater and nodded. "You need a high school diploma, Mister Yui, if you want to become a librarian."

Mouth firming, Heero's head dipped faintly. "Hmm."

((()))

It was inevitable, obviously, and there was no use running from it. Heero folded his arms and let his perfect posture slack a bit as he studied the white paint peeling from the wooden bench he sat on.

In the distance, the marina spread out beautifully, the sun blooming with warmth in the early spring day. Across the wide expanse of grass, he could see many people walking their dogs, playing Frisbee or volleyball, or just ambling along, hand-in-hand across the soft, verdant carpet.

A twinge of something cut him inside, and the dark-haired boy looked away from the joyful people around him, sinking further into the bench. That odd feeling . . . Within his mind, a crystal clear image of her flickered, then melted away.

"Relena." His features chilled once the word escaped his lips, and he pushed it back, pushed back the hard edge of glass that sliced into his chest whenever she appeared in his mind.

_I need a high school diploma. _

That was all that was important.

For the past four months, he'd done his best to become a regular citizen again, choosing to stay on the Earth in the hopes of discovering some sort of connection with the birth-place of humanity. Of course, with no resources from Dr. J, Heero had been forced to find work. However, his new vow to never kill again had started a strange sort of disassociation within himself. He found himself shunning those jobs he would be well suited for: corporation security, bar bouncer, police recruit . . . When he truly considered it, he supposed that some part of him might be concerned that, if given no other choice, he may accidentally kill someone again in the heat of a scuffle.

Unfortunately, without a high school diploma or even a general equivalency diploma, that meant that he was limited to the most menial of jobs. Even worse, he could not seem to keep them. Heero's eyes narrowed as he glared at his scuffed tennis shoes. No matter what he did or how hard he worked, they always fired him, saying that he was 'scaring the customers' or 'disturbing the guests'.

The teenager grunted, a tiny flicker of anger appearing at the recollection. If they were scared, it was their own faults for letting their imaginations run away with them. What was there to scare them? He simply did his jobs and avoided interactions.

Shaking his head, Heero Yui leaned his head back on the bench and gazed up at the sunlight wafting through the budding tree-leaves. _It doesn't look like rain,_ he considered briefly, then shrugged.

It was alright; he'd slept in the park through the rain before.

((()))

Earth, Moscow  
April 7th – 8:05 pm

"Yes, it was a very interesting court battle, Mister President," Quatre Winner chuckled over his wine glass. "But eventually it was decided that my family still retained ownership of the colony."

The young blond stood casually beside the president of the Earth Sphere Unified Nation, looking out across the expansive ballroom. All around them, guests mingled and laughed, enjoying the formal dinner party meant to raise money for homes and families damaged by Mariemaia's recently attempted coup.

"But weren't the colony citizens upset that, once more, their home was owned by a private citizen?" the elderly gentleman asked as he sipped his chardonnay.

With a slight irritation, Quatre adjusted the tight collar of his tuxedo and replied easily, "Yes, they were, but I had never intended on keeping it. We arranged a very modest selling price for the colony, and they agreed to it. Unfortunately, they couldn't afford the cost upfront, but the Winner family offered a loan with almost no interest, and the payment plan on the loan won't be at all difficult for them in the future." Laughing lightly, his innocent aquamarine eyes glanced up at the older man. "I'm just glad that everything is working out so well."

The gentle music of the symphony swelled in the background, and Quatre's eyes were caught by a flash of platinum as couples began to waltz to the soaring notes. _Dorothy? Are you following me again?_ Shaking his head, the young man sipped from his glass of Merlot, gently stirring the deep mahogany within the crystal with a light dip of his hand and watching the thick streaks of wine in the glass to cover his concern.

As the couples dipped and spun, he could finally make out the tall, slender form of the troubled woman, her long silver-blonde hair cascading down her back as she waltzed. Quatre and the president swiveled to watch her dance across the ballroom, her head turning to him and her ice-blue eyes staring directly into his own.

"You seem to have an admirer," the deep voice of the president shook Quatre out of his haze.

"Y-yes," he chuckled, lifting his free hand to rub the back of his neck. "I suppose so."

A familiar low voice spoke behind him, "Don't stare back. She'll only be encouraged. She may be a strong woman, but she is deranged."

"Wu Fei?" Quatre turned and blinked at the young man he hadn't seen in two months; not since Milliardo and Lucrezia's wedding. "What are you doing here?"

The young Preventer still wore his black and olive uniform, and his dark gaze burned into Quatre's. "Excuse my interruption, Mister President. However, I require your assistance, Quatre."

President Russell nodded and said, "I'll leave you two alone, then. It was a pleasure speaking with you, Mister Winner."

"Oh," Quatre said feebly, still surprised by Wu Fei's appearance, "yes, thank you, Mister President!" Quatre's shock disappeared as he turned back to the young Chinese and he beamed at him. "It's so wonderful to see you again! What have you been up to? Would you like some wine?"

The dark-haired boy's eyes narrowed slightly as he watched the president walk away, and he shook his head. "I am on duty at the moment. However, I truly need your assistance, and I believe it may be beneficial to you as well."

"Is it about rebuilding the areas of the Earth that were damaged?" the blond asked excitedly. "I'm not really sure what else I could do, I haven't heard of any threats lately. The Preventers are doing well, from what I've gathered."

Wu Fei began to slowly pace across the marble floor of the ballroom, hands clasped behind his back. He did not look back to see if Quatre followed, but the young trillionaire was at his elbow. "That is what I wish to discuss with you. You see," he glared at a nearby gaggle of young women who were glancing at him shyly, "Director Une wishes to clone me."

"Oh my!" Quatre's teal eyes widened as a hand rose to his mouth, "that's terrible!"

The Chinese man stopped, then turned to look at him, sighing. "No, no. You see . . . she wishes to have duplicates of me."

"Isn't that what you just said?" Quatre asked, feeling faint and taking a few gulps of his dark red wine. _Cloning? Has Lady Une returned to her previous ailments? _

Wu Fei grimaced and shook his head. "Yes, I am still unused to verbalizing as much as is necessary. No, what I mean to say is, she . . . she wants other agents with . . . similarities to myself."

"Chinese? She wants more Chinese agents?" Gaping in relief, the young man found a settee towards the back of the ballroom and sat down heavily. Cheeks rosy from his recent imbibing, he offered, "I really think you should have some wine, it's helping me tremendously."

The Asian teenager sat down next to him and gazed deeply into his glassy eyes. "Have you made the consumption of alcohol a regular practice in your life of late?"

"No, no . . . Regular? No," Quatre chuckled a little, staring into his almost empty wine glass. "Are you sure you don't want some? I'm very glad they aren't going to clone you."

"You should come with me," Wu Fei commanded, glaring at the glass accusingly. "There is no alcohol where we are going."

Quatre blinked, his voluminous teal eyes rising to gaze into Wu Fei's. "And where is that?"

With a snort, Wu Fei looked out upon the sea of aristocrats. "High School."

((()))

Colony L3-X1-421  
April 9th – 7:56 pm

Catherine set down the doused juggling torches behind the curtain as they hurried off the darkened stage, the cheering of the crowd rolling in the background. "Oh, Trowa, I'm _so sorry_ I set you on fire!" She turned to gaze up at him with a deeply crestfallen look in her periwinkle eyes.

The tall young man sighed and shook his auburn head. "It's not your fault, Catherine, the dove flew in your face. It must have mistaken your moves for the 'return' signal." Removing the clown mask from his face, he glanced down at his charred costume. "Fortunately all the damage was cosmetic. Hi, Wu Fei."

"AHHHHH!" The girl started and turned abruptly only to run into two shadowy silhouettes in the blackness of the backstage. "Oh, is that you, Wu Fei? Why are you standing in the dark?"

One of the figures spoke, a quiet, low tone to his voice. "We didn't want to be seen."

"Well," she huffed, "you succeeded!" Tossing her curly maroon hair over her shoulder, she turned to the other figure. "So, who are _you_?" Before he could reply, she gave Trowa a sidelong glance and muttered, "You sure have some odd friends, honey."

"Um," the other figure began in a tenor tone, "sorry for the fright, Miss, but Wu Fei didn't want to alert the security or interrupt the show. My name is Quatre Winner." He stepped into the light, revealing a fresh-faced young man with an easy smile and bright sea-green eyes. "And you would be Catherine, right?"

"Yeah," Catherine answered uncertainly, looking over the well-dressed young man, "Catherine Bloom. Nice to meet you." At his carefree grin, her shoulders relaxed and she beamed, more at ease. "So, you came all this way to visit Trowa?" Her eyes narrowed as the name and face locked together in her memory. _Quatre Winner . . . this is Trowa's friend, who came to him when he lost his memory. _

The tallest of the three turned at his name and stared at his visitors. "You were on Earth, right? Why come all the way up to space to see me?"

As Wu Fei stepped into the light as well, she could see that it was, indeed, the young brooding man she had met two years ago. His ebony eyes looked at the both of them solidly in turn. "I'm here because we need you for an important mission and—"

"NO!" Catherine exclaimed, glaring at him as her arms spread wide, "no more missions for Trowa! Who knows what hell you'll drag him off to! No more fighting, no more missions," she turned to stare up at her friend, "you promised!"

Wu Fei's brow rose as the man in question remained silent. "There will not be any fighting." His dark eyes flicked up to peer into Trowa's own. "She's quite possessive. And demanding. More so than I remember."

Folding her arms, the maroon-haired girl snapped, "You got a problem with that?!"

He bowed his head slowly, the dim warmth of the backstage lights glistening off his hair. "Admirable. Even more so because you are a woman."

With a huff, she growled, "What was your _first clue_?"

Before it could further get out of hand, Quatre stepped in between the angered girl and confused man, his hands raised in a placating gesture. "Now, now, let's not fight. I think Wu Fei was just trying to compliment you, Catherine. You should appreciate it, he rarely compliments anyone," the blond chuckled nervously, "really, not even me."

The Asian man remained silent, but gave her a calm glance.

Sighing, Catherine dropped her hands to her sides, _Jeeze, what a way to end the day!_ Shaking her head, she asked, "So, what _is_ the mission if not fighting?"

Just as Quatre opened his mouth to speak, Wu Fei told her flatly, "High School."

((()))

Earth, Moscow  
April 9th – 6:46 pm

Director Une smiled slightly and leaned back in her plush office chair, her umber eyes resting on the holograph of her adopted daughter. "Very interesting," she told the figure standing at the front of her mahogany desk. "Well, I see that this will most definitely be beneficial to the both of us."

Pulling out her phone, she flipped it open and dialed a number, then waited patiently for an answer. Finally, a low voice responded. With a calculating grin, the long-haired woman leaned forward in her chair and spoke gently. "Don't worry about Subject Three, Agent Chang. He'll meet you at Subject Four's location."

She paused as the voice asked a question, her bronze eyes narrowing as she considered it. "I don't believe that will be a problem. I anticipated the likelihood of such a request. In the end, it may be very . . . helpful to us. Don't worry about accepting other f. . . additions. I trust your judgment."

((()))

Colony L2-X7-99  
April 11th – 12:30 pm

"Hilde, could you hand me a screwdriver?"

There was a pause, then her quirky voice muttered, "Duo, there's a big group of people outside the shop . . . looks like four or five. One of 'em's a girl, I think."

Duo sighed as he relaxed on the roller bed, then wiped sweat from his brow. Their garage and apartment were sweltering in the summer heat programmed by the colony, and there was no money for air-conditioning. _ You'd think they'd want to conserve energy, but nooo, "You can't have a summer barbeque if it's not at least twenty-nine degrees out," _ he told himself, remembering what the high society nitwits used as their excuse for the random spikes of hot weather every "summer".

They were in the process of fixing a car for a client, a sadly rare event of late, and the last thing he needed was an interruption. "Do we owe them money?" he asked jokingly, using his feet to slowly pull the roller bed out from under the car.

"I can't _tell_," she snapped, and her pale face came into view as he cleared the side of the car. "You painted that 'iced glass' stuff all over the windows, remember?"

"Oh yeah," Duo chuckled as he stood and tugged on his braid to right it, "that was that one day when I was feelin' really paranoid."

The messy visage of their workshop and apartment greeted him as he glanced around and reminded himself of where any weapons were hidden just in case. "Okay, then," he spoke, shoulders slumping. "But we ain't exactly dressed for company."

"We live in a _junk yard_, dummy," Hilde rolled her navy eyes and folded her arms across her chest, unknowingly rubbing her arm into a patch of oil smeared across her loose t-shirt. "It's _gonna_ be dirty."

Mouth opening slightly as he looked at the stain running along her bust, Duo was once again reminded of how attractive his roommate was. "Um, Hilde? You . . . you got a bit of grease on your shirt . . ." _Dammit, I sound like a love-sick puppy. That's no way for the God of Death to act!_

The girl looked down, then shrugged. "So?"

"Oh, yeah." His fists clenched, and then he shook his head as he walked passed her towards the front door. _Who am I kidding? The God of Death may be able to bravely go into battle prepared to die, but he's a quivering mass of Jell-O when it comes to Hilde._

Wiping his hands on his dirty blue-jeans, the young pilot stopped before the door and looked out the hazy panes of glass on either side. Sure enough, there stood a group of people, fuzzy to the eye and impossible to identify through the glass. He could tell that one was a woman, and the four men varied in height from 6'2 to 5'8.

As Duo watched, the shortest male figure turned and stepped towards the door, and Duo found himself pulling back instinctively. He chuckled at himself and his foolishness. _Hah, like anyone could truly see inside when the outdoor illumination of the colony is so bright. Duh, Duo._

The braided man waited as a knock sounded on the door, then leisurely counted to five. Behind him, he could see his short-haired roommate watching him curiously.

Finally, Duo wiped away another sheen of moisture from his forehead, pulled at his t-shirt, and stuck out his hand to grasp the door handle. _Jeeze, I sure hope there ain't any enemies behind this door,_ he told himself as he swung it inward, revealing . . . the barrel of a gun.

"_HOLY SHIT!_" Slamming the door closed, Duo leapt back and landed in a ball, rolling backwards a few yards. His hand shot out and pulled something from under the couch, and when he came to his feet he held a gun. "Hilde, get back!"

"Who are they?" she demanded, already hiding behind the desk and holding a pistol as well.

"I _donno'_, I didn't take the time to look 'em _over_! But whoever they are, they got a gun!"

Suddenly, a muffled tenor voice cried out from outside of the shop,_ "Heero, PUT THE GUN AWAY! You barely gave them time to answer the door!"_

Duo blinked, then scratched his sienna head. "Quatre? Heero? What the hell?"

"Duo," Hilde began softly, "WHY ARE YOUR FRIENDS TRYING TO KILL US?!"

"I donno', I donno'! Maybe I DO owe 'em money!"

­—

Outside Duo and Hilde's garage, Wu Fei stood stiffly, still glaring at Heero as the taller boy returned his Luger 424 to the back of his jeans. "That was rather rash of you, don't you think?" the young Asian man said. "You should at least wait three minutes and fifteen seconds before deciding those within are in trouble and then breaking down the door."

Heero's deep blue eyes stared at him for a moment, and then he gave a curt nod. "I'll consider that."

Behind them, Catherine snorted and crossed her arms, her mouth twitching. "Are they always like this?" she asked Trowa softly as she peered up into his hazel eyes.

"They can't help it," he replied smiling faintly. "You should be relieved, they're usually more violent than this."

Next to them, the young blond man dropped his head and sighed. "This isn't going well. Why is it so difficult with Duo? If anyone would have been difficult, it should have been Heero."

"Shhh," Wu Fei silenced the others and stepped close to the door, eyes narrowed. "I'll diffuse the situation, all of you should step away."

Inside, he could hear the quiet voices of the man and woman rising as they began to shout at each other.

"_They're _your_ friends, go out and talk to them!"_

"_Oh, right, MY friends. Why don't _YOU _talk to them, they won't shoot a girl!"_

There was a pause, then Hilde laughed dryly_. "Yeah, right! Unlike you, I actually _communicate _with my friends, I've spoken to Relena _quite_ often and Heero used to threaten to kill her DAILY!!"_

The five people standing outside glanced at each other.

Inside, Duo replied sharply, _"That's just 'cause he's GOT A _CRUSH_ ON HER!"_

All eyes turned to Heero. The young man's mouth hardened and he glared back, indigo eyes cold, as if daring them to comment.

Wu Fei suppressed a sigh and clenched his teeth, one hand rising instinctually to tug at the hem of his Preventer jacket. This was not going well at all, and it was about time he ended this before Heero attacked someone. _He can't be happy about having someone declare how he feels about his woman in front of everyone. Especially since I am convinced that Relena does not know for certain what he feels._ The skin around his eyes tightened as he glared up at Heero, and then he turned back to the door.

Taking a deep breath, the Asian man grabbed the door handle and turned it, then very slowly opened it a crack. "Duo," he said calmly, shaking his head, "it's Wu Fei. I'm coming in." _Dammit, I wish they could have spared Sally to come with me, she's more adept at convincing people to listen to her. What would Sally say to them in this position? Probably "Oh, let's not fight, everyone calm down and have a tranquillizer" . . . well, that won't work, I can't prescribe drugs._ His mouth softened imperceptibly at the joke as he waited for the response from the two people within the building.

Finally, Duo came up to the crack in the door, one of his violet eyes appearing and wisps of his dark hair framing his worried face. "Hey, there, Wu Fei. Um, you aren't here to kill me, are ya'?"

"No."

The other man's features relaxed and he grinned slightly. "Do I owe ya' money?"

Wu Fei thought about this. "Yes."

"What?!"

In the background, Hilde erupted, _"You _LOSER_! How much did you borrow _this_ time? Why don't you ever TELL ME?!"_

Rolling his eyes, Wu Fei tossed his head back and forth. "It was in jest, Duo owes me nothing at the moment."

With a thump, Duo's gun hit the floor, skittering faintly. "You . . . you were _joking_?"

Grimacing, the Chinese boy growled, "_Yes_, now can you please let me _in_?"

"Yeah, yeah," the braided young man opened it slowly, then gingerly bent to pick up his dropped weapon. "Eh-heh, sorry." With a sigh, he opened the door and warily looked out at the group. "Hey!" he exclaimed in surprise, shocked to see who was at his home. "What the hell are all'aya _doing_ here?"

Behind him in the living room, Hilde peeked out from behind the desk. "Duo? _Who's _here, what the _hell _is going _on_?"

The young Preventer cut off the one-time God of Death as he was about to speak. "High School."

With a tired sigh, Quatre stepped through the door, "Wu Fei, please, stop repeating that joke. It's-"

"What's this sign?" Trowa asked quietly as he followed, holding up a large poster-board sign emblazoned with 'Gundam Action Figures Sold Here!!'

"Ooooh," the braided boy exclaimed loudly as all of his guests entered the messy abode. "That's . . . not mine!" He shook his auburn head sadly, sighing melodramatically, "there's this nutty old lady who likes to leave—"

"Hey, mister!" a small boy of about 12 yelled from the street behind them. Everyone turned to see him waving. "Are ya still sellin' those Gundam toys?!"

Their suspicious glances returned to Duo, who tugged on his collar and said, "No, no, you must have the wrong—"

"What kind do you want, kid?" the dark-haired girl stood up from behind the couch and strolled past the group of gaping teenagers. With a glare tossed back to her roommate, Hilde wiped her hands on her dusty jeans and picked up a box by the door.

Duo covered his face as she waved the child over and showed him the wares, their visitors crowding around as well and staring at the figurines. "I'm so dead," he muttered to himself.

"Wow," the little blond boy beamed as he looked at them, "can I have a whole set?"

"If you got the cash," Hilde smiled back, "you can have whatever you want."

The kid frowned, then said, "I'll have to bring my parents for the other ones, I only got enough for one. I've been saving up ever since you guys started selling them, and I finally got enough!" His green eyes sparkled up at his half-dozen watchers and he grinned.

With a business-like air, Hilde replied, "That's fine, our hours are on the door. So," she tossed her short indigo hair, "which one do you want?"

Instantly, the four pilots all turned to look at the kid expectantly.

Frowning again, the child shook his saffron head. "How many kinds are there? There looks like more than five in your box . . ."

"Yep, we have the original five Gundams, their alternate designs and also Epion and Tallgeese." She pointed out each one in turn as she spoke.

"I donno'," the kid debated, "I don't like geese. They bite me whenever I try to feed them. I guess the Eppy-on is okay."

The four pilots let out resigned sighs and Catherine giggled at the child's logic.

On the other side of the room, Duo muttered into his russet bangs, "No one ever buys the _Death Scythe_, oh, _no_. It's always someone _else's _Gundam."

Hilde rolled her eyes at overhearing her roommate, but beamed down at the tiny child anyhow. "So, you really got enough, huh? That's a lot of money for a little kid to be carrying around."

The child frowned and shuffled his feet, then stuck his hand in his pocket. "Well, my mom gave me a big bill for all the change I had saved. I had lots of pennies!" Pulling out his hand, he revealed his retrieved prize and handed it to her.

Quatre gaped as the other pilots blinked. "You're charging a hundred _dollars_?!"

Shrugging, the indigo-haired girl took the bill and quipped, "Why not? We spend a lot of time on these, they're worth it. Anyhow, we need to pay rent." Her dark eyes shot over to her sulking roommate. "_Don't_ we . . . _Duo_."

"What? Oh, yeah!" The young man chuckled anxiously and rubbed the back of his neck. "Um . . ."

"Wow," the kid announced, breaking the stiff silence, "thanks a lot, lady! See you later!" He took his toy and, holding it close to his chest, wandered out of the shop and into the daylight.

Brows raising, the four pilots turned to stare at Duo, an uncertain Catherine behind them. The other young woman just shrugged and wiped her hands on her shirt, then headed for the kitchen. Quatre stepped forward a bit, a less hostile look in his aquamarine eyes and began, "Um . . . Duo . . . _toys_? You could have at least asked us, I certainly wouldn't have minded." His sorrowful gaze flicked down to the dirty floor and his mouth quirked. "We spent so much time together and you couldn't tell me?"

"Well, you know . . ." Duo flushed, scuffing the floor with his sneaker.

From the kitchen, Hilde called, "Oh, he was just embarrassed to admit that he wanted to make toys, that's all. Don't take it personally, Quatre."

"Shut up!" the God of Death shot back, reddening further. "Why don't you go _clean_ something?!" He ducked a spoon that shot out from nowhere and winced as it struck his head. "Ow." As Duo raised his chestnut head, his eyes fell upon his friends' turned backs and his lips parted. "Hey . . ."

The three serious pilots and one acrobat were circled around the box of toys, muttering curiously and watching in slight amusement as Quatre excitedly gesticulated and waved some of the toys at them.

Duo wandered over nervously, biting his lip and tugging on his braid, but before he could say anything, Hilde bounded over with a sandwich in one hand. "Hey, Quat, if you think _that's_ neat," she put on her best saleswoman smile, "check _this_ out!" Taking a bite of her sandwich, she motioned for the blond boy to hold up the Sandrock toy in his hand. "Mmph, okay," she swallowed, "press that button under the left arm."

He did so, and a metallic voice cried from the little Gundam, "_We all have to make it up to SPACE! Every ONE OF US!!_"

Quatre blinked to hear his own voice come from the toy. "Hey! That's really me! I said that!" He turned to look at Duo in confusion, and behind him Heero rolled his eyes slightly. "How did you guys _do_ that?" the shorter boy asked in amazement.

Finally speaking, Heero muttered, "He stole the flight logs and made copies."

"I, I gave back the originals!" Duo cried, glaring at the sullen pilot.

The curly-haired girl behind the pilots snuck forward and grabbed one of the Gundam dolls. "Isn't this a copy of your Gundam, Trowa?" she asked softly, periwinkle eyes wide. She pressed the button under the long gatling arm and giggled as it began to speak.

"_Those who have laid eyes on a Gundam shall not live to tell about it. Those are the orders I was given._"

Brows raised, Catherine's smile dropped and she glared at Trowa flatly.

"Well they _were_," the clown coolly answered, bronze gaze solidly returning her look. All the pilots nodded easily.

Hilde ignored them and continued eating her sandwich as she wandered over to the desk. Shoving her hand into the desk drawer, she pulled out something and leisurely sauntered over to Quatre with it. "Here ya go," she handed him a doll that looked just like the other Wing Zero, but about 18 inches tall instead of 12.

The golden-haired trillionaire frowned at it in confusion, glancing back at Heero. "I don't really think—"

"Hold down the button for a really long time."

"Uh, _Hilde_ . . ." Duo warned, wincing.

The short-haired girl chomped down the last of her sandwich. "It was Duo's idea."

Slowly, the dusty-haired boy began backing away, long ponytail swinging frantically. "Hil . . . _dee_ . . ." Dark blue eyes followed him as he bumped into a wall, rubbing his head. "I'm gonna _die_," he whispered.

Frowning on the other side of the room, Quatre looked up at the crowd watching him, his finger still pressing on the button. "Well, nothing's happening _yet._ What is this, a collector's edition?"

"Yep," The aquette snickered and folded her arms across her dirty t-shirt while she leaned against the sofa next to the group. "Duo made it for _us_, not to sell."

Duo's violet eyes widened, Heero still staring straight at him. With a squeak, the God of Death turned and bolted into another room, shutting the door after him.

"_Relena._"

Everyone _stared_ at the larger Wing Zero, and Quatre blanched, finger still locked onto the button. "Oh."

"_Heero._"

All but Heero had huge eyes, and the group turned to gaze at Hilde en-masse. "Eh," the girl shrugged, smirking, "what can I say? It's his idea, not mine." Her brows rose as she glanced back at the glowering young man in the back, and her teeth clenched. "Um . . . well, I thought you . . . should know. Anyhow."

"_Relena_."

Quatre squeaked and let go so swiftly that the toy tumbled out of his hands and landed in a pile of dirty clothes. "Whoops!"

"_Heero_."

Wu Fei glared at Hilde wearily. "Does it ever _stop_?"

She swallowed. "Soon."

"_You can tell by the way I use my walk, I'm a woman's man, no time to talk_"

Collapsing on the sofa, the fair-haired boy held his head.

"I'll kill him." Heero pushed past the stunned crowd and slowly began heading for the back room.

"_Ah, ah, ah, ah, stayin' alive, stayin' alive_"

* * *

(Authors' note: Even though it should be spelled "Hiiro" according to Romangi Japanese, I (Ukchana) think the spelling of it in that way is too misleading, so we've decided to stick with "Heero". Anyway, when I read "Hiiro" I find that it sounds like "High-ro". And besides that, e's are prettier than i's.

Also, we've found a website that says it's the official Gundam Wing website: www . gundamofficial . com. But there are a lot of things that don't make sense to us. In any military, no one who is under 20 would be a colonel; in fact, it would be very rare to find anyone under 20 in any form of command. Secondly, Relena's eyes are not violet, they're blue as far as I can tell, and Duo's look more purple than blue to me. Not to mention that many names are spelled differently than they were in the subtitled versions. And if not worse, they say that Quatre has a lack of fighting skills. Yeah, he may not be as good as everyone else, but he isn't incompetent. And perhaps the most embarrassing thing, they say that Zech's last name is spelled "Merquise". Ignoring the first "e" that should be an "a", spelling Marquise with an "e" means that the person with that title is a woman. Not that we're saying it's a title, but it's just kinda silly since no one says it like that.

So, we've decided to rely ONLY on the anime and not at all on any website. If there is any information outside of the anime that our fanfic differs with, oh well, because even the official site seems to be inaccurate. If this bugs you, just don't read and everyone will be happy campers.)

* * *


	2. Chapter 2

We also want to thank all the Slayers audience that has come over to read and review. You're the greatest!

Oh, Catwho, we haven't seen that peice of artwork, but it sounds great. Actually, we came up with an interesting Gundam Wing plot a while ago, then realized that it required certain things first, so this fic is sort of a prequel to our original idea. (scratches head) Funny, Modern Day is also a prequel to a fic I was writing . . . and at this rate, the PREQUEL is gonna be 100 chapters . . . (swoons)

Anyhow, as you guys can probably see, this isn't your average high school Gundam Wing fanfic. It won't be nearly as easy on the pilots as the other highschool fanfics are! BWA HA HA HA HA . . . sorry. Sadistic tangent . . .

Oh, and if you like the style of writing here and you know about and like the Slayers anime (you know, flat-chested redhead), you might want to check out our individual fanfics on Mine is Modern Day 1, a Filia/Xellos fic, and Elf's is called Slayers: Duality. Both are pretty funny but mine has more drama and angst to it . . . though I am trying to get him to concentrate more on character development, lol. (wish me luck!)

love, Ukchana (and CEP)

* * *

**Chapter 2**

Earth, Moscow  
April 13th – 10:55 am

"Is she here yet?"

Wu Fei rolled his eyes very faintly at Duo's flippant demand and straightened further in the oak chair, then let his almond eyes drop to the long conference table. "Director Une is still out on other business at the moment." It had been two days since they had all picked up Duo and Hilde, and the former's unusually high enthusiasm had begun to wear a bit thin for the Chinese teenager.

With a smirk, the braided pilot shrugged out of his black leather jacket, his glance falling along the other youths around the table. "And what business would _that_ be?" he asked, leaning back in the chair.

All watched the young Preventer as his mouth tightened almost imperceptibly. "The execution of," he paused as Quatre gasped and glared up at him, "certain activities that may or may _not_ be related to our current goals. Why?" he turned to the well-dressed blond boy, "what did you _think_ I meant?" One brow rose mockingly and Wu Fei crossed his arms to lean forward slightly on the table.

Blushing, the fair pilot ducked his head. "Nothing."

Hilde edged closer to Duo and lowered her voice. "So, how the _hell_ did you come out of the bedroom _alive_? He was ready to _skin_ you!"

The young man shook his tawny head, large violet eyes uncertain. "He made a vow to never kill again. Luckily I was able to remind him of it." He stretched and pulled his legs up onto the desk as if showing off his ebony jeans and combat boots.

"Ohhh!" the short-haired girl giggled, "so _that's _ why you were screaming 'can't kill me, can't kill me'!" She chuckled as he rolled his eyes and looked away, then quickly lowered his feet at Wu Fei's sharp glare.

To the far left of them, down the table, Quatre raised his sea-green gaze to the sullen boy next to him. "Heero, I really wish you had used the credit card I gave you. You look like you haven't eaten in weeks!" _Or bathed . . . good thing it rains often in Chicago._

Heero shrugged noncommittally and stared out across the table.

"Anyhow," continued the pale-haired young man, "you really should have. I checked on the usage of the account and you've only spent five dollars per week at fast-food restaurants!" He shook his head and adjusted his vest.

"It's for emergencies. Starvation is _not_ an emergency."

Quatre's eyes quirked and he gazed up at him imploringly. "Heero!" he spoke softly, "even _you_ need to eat!"

"Hmmm . . ." Heero's dark head drooped and he stared at the surface of the table. "It's oak."

"So?"

"They put us in the _cheap_ conference room."

For a short time, everyone was silent, then the tallest young man lifted his tawny head, dusty eyes locking onto Wu Fei with that disturbing serenity. "Are there any _others_ scheduled to attend this meeting?"

Behind the group but within Wu Fei's vision, a door clicked shut. "Only Agent Po, here," a sultry voice answered Trowa, and everyone turned at the sound to watch long-haired Director Une march around the table with Sally Po at her side. "Thank you for joining us," she spoke as she found a seat at the head of the table, Wu Fei at her left and Sally at her right.

Methodically, the garnet-clothed director set down the billfold in her arms and opened it, placing thin stacks of papers in careful piles along the oak surface. Finally satisfied, she laid her hands onto her lap and smiled faintly at each of them. "And now to why I decided to offer you a chance to formalize your educations."

Duo chuckled and wrapped his hands along the back of his neck lazily. "Well, that's rather obvious. Bribery."

Her brow rose but she waited patiently, the deep ruby of her skirt and suit reflected within her bright henna eyes. Beside her, Wu Fei glowered at the other boy.

"Pre-payment is probably a better term," Trowa spoke in the silence, smoothing the indigo dress-shirt he wore, and Heero's head fell a little in agreement.

Une's pale umber gaze flickered over them, studying each expression. The four Gundam pilots were calm, but the two women with them seemed uncertain. "More like, incentive."

There was a snort, and everyone turned to look at Heero, his eyes closed and disheveled bronze bangs shielding his features. "So, in return for schooling you're hoping that we'll change our minds about joining you. I hope you're not expecting much."

"If even one of you joins," Une leveled her gaze onto him, "it would be worth everything this will cost. A year of private schooling for _all_ of the people here . . . isn't that great of a price to pay."

Trowa looked at her sharply. "But Wu Fei would not have been able to become an Agent without a high school diploma or GED and Quatre already has finished high school via private instruction. So why are they going along?"

"Ooooh," Duo jumped in, violet eyes flashing, "I get it now. You're not sending us to school to get _diplomas_, you're sending us to make us more _normal_!" Ignoring Hilde's laughter, he continued, "Wu and Quat are just there to keep us in line, right? And to make sure we're actually _becoming _normal, as opposed to setting the bathrooms on fire."

Une raised a brow, saying, "If that's the only thing you do, I'll be pleased." The long-haired director smirked a bit, then dipped her head to gaze out at them all. "And when I said everyone, I meant the four of you _and_ the two young women you sit with. All of you will get a year of high-quality education for free, if you so choose."

"But why us?" Catherine asked uncertainly, picking nervously at the neck of her form-fitting blouse.

The indigo-haired girl on the other side of the table shook her head. "C'mon, it's pretty obvious. We're the other babysitters."

"Hey!" Duo snapped, turning to glare balefully at her, "who's babysitting _who_ here? I happen to think I'm probably one of the more normal among _this_ bunch."

"Well," the Director shrugged and began looking through the papers before her, "no one said that you wouldn't be. But we wouldn't want you to get a bloated ego. Now, then," she grouped some sheets and tapped the edges of the whole lightly on the table, "for the proposed room assignments should you agree. The school had few rooms left in the boy's dormitories, so the men will have to double up. The girls will have their own rooms."

When no one complained, she went on, smoothing her red suit-coat. "Duo, you and Heero will room together since you seem to get along the best, the same for Quatre and Trowa, and Wu Fei will have to withstand an unknown quantity as his roommate, mostly because he's spent enough time around people to be trustworthy alone."

"I HOPE Wu Fei is trustworthy alone," Duo joked uneasily while glancing at Heero, "he's a Preventer agent, after all."

The Director smirked. "That's what Po's for," she jerked her thumb to her right towards the unusually quiet doctor. The half-Asian woman chuckled slightly but stayed quiet as Wu Fei fumed.

Heero stared at the offending oak table and crossed his arms over the faded tank-top he wore. "Those room arrangements are satisfactory."

"I request a change!" Duo demanded as soon as the other pilot spoke, purple eyes frantic. "Please?"

The older woman leaned back in her chair and grinned, long almond hair brushing the seat as she crossed her arms over her jacket. "Why? Hasn't Heero always tried to kill you? If he hasn't succeeded yet, I doubt you're in any immediate danger."

"But," the braided boy stressed, one hand open before him, "this time I made him _mad_." He winced and chuckled weakly. "Usually he just tries to kill me because I'm _there_."

"Well," Une blinked, stone-faced at his joke, "this will give you the opportunity to make it up to him. I'd suggest flowers, but I don't think he's the type."

Heero frowned faintly but said nothing, and Duo grimaced. "I donno'," Duo glanced to Hilde, "I'd try anything at this point."

Clearing his throat, Quatre interrupted them by asking, "So, which school is this going to be? Wu Fei said a prep-school, but a specific location's always nice to know."

Pulling up another sheet of paper, the Director's tan eyes flickered over it. "It's called Castello de Cristo, along the coast of Italy."

Duo snorted. "Whoopee, 'the castle of Christ'. That's not stuck-up at all!"

Next to Une, the female Agent finally spoke up. "It's not called a 'prep-school' for nothing, Duo," Po chuckled slyly.

"So," Catherine piped up, beaming, "when do we leave?"

"Catherine." With a sigh, Trowa turned to gaze at the red-haired girl frankly. "I haven't agreed yet."

"You're GOING!" she demanded, and he sighed and slumped in the chair as she ranted. "This is a very good opportunity for you, and you know what the ringmaster always said about opportunities."

"Don't stick them in your trousers, otherwise they'll bite you?"

"NO, DUO!" Catherine snapped, obviously losing her own patience after two days of insanity.

Ignoring his friends' pointless chatter, Trowa sighed again and plopped his elbows onto the table. "Fine." The acrobat covered his face and shook his head.

"Um," Quatre spoke up again, azure eyes uneasily glancing around the table, "perhaps we could take a short break to consider your offer? It's getting near lunchtime," he added, gazing up at the sullen dark-haired boy next to him. "I'm sure we could all use some _food_." His voice became hard, and Heero's mouth quirked in worry at the firm glare emanating from the slight young man.

With a stunning yet chilling smile, Une nodded, tossing back her head. "That's fine. I'll have some food sent in and you can all discuss it amongst yourselves. Po," she turned to the violet-eyed agent next to her, "you can fill them in on your part in this."

Sally nodded once and watched as the Director stood to go. "Yes, Ma'am. Okay, boys," Sally turned a bright grin onto the pilots. "Any questions?"

The door closed on her words.

((()))

Earth, Izumo  
April 13th – 4:45 pm

Relena rubbed her temples as she stepped out of the ivory limousine, gaze seeking out the pure azure sky above her in solace. Beyond, the verdant hills of Southwest Japan rolled gently into the distance. _Heero . . ._

"Miss Relena?" spoke the soft voice of her butler, and she turned to smile weakly at Pagan. "Are you alright? You seem rather weary today."

The blonde dropped her head to close her eyes, then stepped away from the car towards the expansive mansion, her heels clacking dully on the blacktop. "Yes, I'm afraid that I am." She adjusted her suit-coat and glanced over to him as they reached the front door. "Thank you for your concern, but I'm not really sure myself what's wrong. I wish I could say it's just work," her honey-gold head swung from side to side as he opened the door for them and led her into the foyer, "but I just don't know . . ."

The elderly gentleman harrumphed and paused to let her slip out of her shoes. "Perhaps it's an ill-omen, Miss Relena. Or," he frowned, "something besides work that troubles you often?"

Kimiko, the maid, suddenly appeared from a wide side-corridor and whispered, "Speaking of which, I believe you should go look to your room, Miss Relena." Giggling, the young Asian girl turned and hurried off the way she'd came, her delicate laugher grating a faint echo through Relena's skull.

"Oh, I wish I could take a vacation," the young Minister growled suddenly, and clutched her head. In the following silence, she let herself breathe slowly, then looked around the pale-colored, gently-lit foyer more calmly. "Alright, then, I'm sure I already know what it is but I might as well make certain. Would you like to come as well, Pagan?" she grinned. "You might as well get your pick of flowers today before I send the whole damn mess off to the Children's Center."

Pagan raised one silver brow, but said nothing as he followed her across the expansive main-room and up the towering stairways. "We need an elevator," the young woman mused, rubbing her temple. "I think I'm too old for this strenuous activity." The butler chuckled at her joke and her light smile touched upon him. "That's better, Miss Relena. Try to have a sense of humor about your situation."

"Yes, I know," she sighed, coming to the top of the stairs and starting down the hall. "I can't help but wonder, however, why I can't deal with one thing at a time, though, instead of ten things at once."

They trudged along in silence through the luxurious corridors until they reached the door to her room. The guard standing outside of her door saluted, looking regal in his crisp maroon uniform. "Ma'am. Nothing to report."

"Except that William was here again?" she asked lightly as she brushed passed him into the room and flung her shoes at the wall – or where the wall should have been. Instead they crushed a lurid collection of orchids.

The pale-haired girl looked around the room, blue eyes widening slowly at the display in her bedroom. "Good God, he's outdone himself _this_ time," she stomped inside and kicked over the nearest vase of flowers. "What the hell does he think he's doing, this is my ROOM, not the rainforests of PERU!"

Outside, she heard the trembling voice of the guard, "Um, Ma'am, I know I wasn't supposed to let him in—"

"Your _point_?!" She carefully stepped past the fountains of flowers in the sitting room and managed to make it to the bedroom, which, after she kicked the door open, revealed itself to be thankfully empty. Growling, the blonde rubbed her head again and started for the connected bathroom. "Who gave you permission to let William into my room AGAIN?!"

Grabbing a container of pain-killers, she paused to look at her frazzled reflection in the mirror and groaned. "How could that guy be so interested in me when I look like _this_?"

Turning away, she almost ran into her mother standing in the doorway between the bathroom and her bedroom. "Relena? Are you alright?" _Pagan must have gone to get her when he saw how upset I became._

Relena's mouth quirked as the older woman wisely got out of the way. "Yes, Mother," she moved into the bedroom and plopped down on the bed, "I'm fine. It's only that, after another horrible business trip to the colonies convincing people that they _truly can tie their own shoelaces WITHOUT my help_, I come home to find that my bedroom needs a _weed-whacker_." She rolled onto her back and stared up at the pale blue canopy, a frown crawling to her lips.

The sound of running water caught her attention, and she slowly sat up on the bed to watch her mother return from the bathroom, a glass in her hand. "Here, Relena," Mrs. Dorlan's soft voice murmured, "after you take some medicine for your headache I'm sure you'll feel better." Her mother's azure gaze dropped to the floor and the older woman added, "I'm really sorry, it was my idea to let him in. I had no idea that you had become so annoyed with William's gifts."

With a quick exhale, the eighteen-year-old Minister took the offered glass of water and swallowed two of the pills sullenly. "He seemed nice enough in the beginning, but I think he's read too many romance novels."

"Hmm," her mother nodded, then sat down next to her on the bed. "Well then, I guess you won't be wanting the pink Lamborghini he left in the back yard."

"WHAT?!" Relena barely caught the glass, then jumped up to the window and stared out. "How many times do I have to tell people I'm OVER THE PINK! Wait . . . I don't see a car . . ."

"Made you look," her mother laughed and rose from the bed.

The Minister tried to glare at her mother but her giggles were infectious. Laughing herself, she went to hug her mother, and sighed as they embraced. "Oh, Mom. This whole week has been _really_ awful."

((()))

Earth, Moscow  
April 13th – 12:10 am

Trowa frowned at his sandwich, then glanced up at Agent Po. "So, what kind of equipment can we requisition?"

Her eyebrows rose, and Sally leaned back in her chair to sip her soda. "It's a _school_, there's not much more to it. However, I understand where you're all coming from; trouble seems to follow you. Not to mention that one of you is a high-profile trillionaire," she glanced to Quatre.

The blond paused with wide teal eyes as everyone turned to look at him. "What?"

"Anyway," Duo snickered, "I'm bringin' my explosives along whether you say it's okay or not. Granted, Quatre could get kidnapped or somethin', but those things are _great_ for clearing out clogged drains!" He grinned and gave her a victory sign, then gaped as Quatre snatched his sandwich away. "Hey!"

With a concerned look in his eyes, the aristocrat sat back down next to Heero, Trowa watching with amusement. "Heero," Quatre spoke softly, watching as the stoic pilot very slowly finished his lone sandwich, "here, I really want you to eat this one also. And mine." His glare returned to Duo, who flushed and growled, and Quatre added, "You owe him this at least."

Po sighed and scratched her honey-blonde head as the braided pilot withered in his seat, her eyes narrowed in confusion. "Oohhh_kay_ . . ."

The dark-haired girl next to Duo patted his shoulder as he muttered to himself. "Here," she mumbled as she munched on her slab of meat and bread, "I've almost eaten half of it." Hilde shoved another bite into her mouth, then chewed and handed him a half-gnawed-on sandwich, adjusting her beret as she did. "Quit'cher whinin'."

"Ooooh, thanks, Babe!" Duo grabbed it and dug in. "You're a lifesaver!"

After watching to make certain that Heero began eating Duo's sandwich, the blond pilot began, "Director Une said you were coming as well, Sally. But you're not exactly a teenager . . ."

She laughed easily and finished her sandwich, then took another drink. "Yes, I'll be there as well, undercover."

"Bologna," Trowa frowned, sipping the soda uneasily.

"What?"

"I can't eat it."

Po rolled her eyes. "Why?"

"I'm Buddhist," the tall pilot said serenely. "Do you have any cheese?"

Wu Fei frowned at his own sandwich. "Sally, I have to agree. You _know_ better."

"This is TURKEY Bologna, so deal with it," the older woman snapped, rolling her eyes. "We have a tight budget right now."

Heero raised his dark-brown head, Prussian eyes locking onto her like a tracking computer. "Like I said. The cheap conference room. Why?"

Stunned that the boy had spoken at all, Po scratched her head. "Well, we've had a few problems with things blowing up whenever Wu Fei gets near them."

"Quiet, WOMAN!" Wu Fei cried, face flushing as he threw down the hateful food, "it was only a few monuments and the old pentagon building! And a lot more things would have been 'blown up' as you say, if I HADN'T done anything!"

Everyone stared but Heero, Duo very slowly eating his half of Hilde's sandwich while Sally chuckled at the steaming young man.

"Anyhow," the woman ended her laughter with a contented sigh and a smirk, "as I was saying, I'll be undercover as the school nurse."

"Helloooo, _nurse_!" Duo whistled, then squeaked as Hilde tugged hard on his braid. "Ow, hey!"

"Lecher." She swiped the last of his sandwich out of his hand and popped it into her mouth.

"Oh, everyone hates me," the auburn-haired boy cried, "the God of Death is unloved!" He covered his face and moaned.

"SILENCE!" the Chinese Preventer slammed down his hand on the table. "You are all to ask Agent Po questions about this mission, you are not to make _stupid_ jokes!"

"Thank you, Wu Fei," Sally beamed, and he turned his head away sullenly. "So, any other questions?" There was a pause and she winced. "_Pertinent _questions?"

The other four pilots and two girls glanced around at each other, then Catherine piped up. "Is there a dress code?"

"Yes," Sally nodded gently. "You will be provided with three uniforms, one type for summer and one type for winter wear, six sets total. Don't worry, they're very flattering," she beamed.

Duo raised his hand, violet eyes twinkling. "Can I have schematics of the dormitory?"

Wu Fei rolled his eyes and answered, "This is an acceptable question, all should be provided with schematics of the grounds, both hard and data copy." He glared at Duo as if angry that he had asked a useful question.

"Why do we need schematics?" the female acrobat murmured nervously.

"Intrusion, counter-insertion, defense and holdout tactics," Trowa replied, still eyeing his sandwich uncertainly. "It doesn't smell like turkey."

Heero glanced over. "May I?"

"Of course," Trowa handed him the sandwich and the somber pilot added it to his pile.

"Just three more to go!" Quatre beamed, patting Heero on the shoulder.

Glaring, Heero raised a brow at him. "We have things to discuss later, Quatre. Remember that."

"Eh . . ." The blond stopped mid-pat and sat back. "Okay." He cleared his throat and said, "Just to set it straight, we WILL be seniors, right?"

"Yes," Sally nodded again. "This is easy!" She folded her hands behind her head and leaned back. "C'mon, give me some tough questions! Compared to the press, you guys are pushovers."

Duo lifted his head, violet gaze catching hers. "Can we bring our own stuff? And how big _are_ these dorms, anyway?"

"BIG ENOUGH!" Wu Fei pounced, "and, _yes_, you can bring personal items IF THEY ARE NOT AGAINST SCHOOL REGULATIONS!!"

Edging back, the braided pilot raised his hands higher and said, "Sure! Right!"

Sally shook her fair head. "Right. So, no other questions?"

Shrugging, Hilde spoke up, "What's the Omega?"

"Omega?" Catherine frowned, blue eyes still puzzled.

Trowa nodded gently. "Retreat signal. We would completely abandon the site."

"Hmm," Sally considered, "I didn't expect that we'd need one, but I guess it's best to be prepared."

The Chinese Agent scowled, then glanced over at his partner. "'The nurse has been fired' has a nice ring to it."

"Beats the hell out of the last Omega signal you came up with," she returned gaily. "Anyhow, there we go. That one sounds as good as any other."

Quatre nodded, watching as Heero very slowly finished another sandwich, with two left. "Sounds fine to me. But one last thing: Is there an equipment cache nearby?"

Heero's head dipped twice as he reached for another sandwich, and Sally slumped in her chair.

"Yeeeeees," the female Preventer stressed, "it's called an Appliance Depot. You're high-school students, not commandos . . . right now."

"Saying that," Heero spoke up again, and everyone stopped what they were doing, "I think we have to discuss an 'allowance'. Mother."

((()))

Earth, Izumo  
April 13th – 6:13 pm

"Really, William," Relena spoke into her cel'phone as she meandered down the garden paths, "the flowers were very nice, but I just don't feel comfortable with such extravagance. It was quite thoughtful of you . . ."

The sunset cast a rich tangerine glow across the landscape, sharp shadows slicing into the world. Dropping onto a swinging bench, she listened to him expound upon his great apologies with barely-contained boredom. "It's alright, really."

"_So,"_ William continued undaunted, _"have you thought any more about joining me in Italy? It's really quite beautiful and you certainly need some time off."_

She sighed, his smooth voice lilting across her, and wondered whether she truly liked him or not. "Well, it _has_ been hellish of late," she agreed, closing her eyes and letting the cool ocean breeze flow over her as she swung on the bench, "but I just don't know . . . I mean, we hardly know each other, William. It's only been a few months."

"_I understand exactly how you feel. Perhaps you were too tired last week, but I _did_ suggest that you invite Quatre Winner along as well. He's a great guy and I'm sure he needs some time off too, since he's in the middle of running his fortunes and a whole colony."_

Nodding, the honey-blonde let out a long sigh. "He has said that he found the whole thing very tiring at times. Yes," she lied guiltily, "I believe I was too tired to remember what you said."

As the sun dipped over the sea, glitter splashed across the waves and her breath caught. _I really have to get away from these dreadful politics before it kills me._

"_So, would you like me to ask him to come along? You're probably exhausted, you should get some rest."_

"Hmm? Oh, no, it's alright." She was silent again, watching the boiling sea as the sun dipped into it gently. "I think you're right. I'll ask him tonight."

There was a relieved sigh on the line, and William returned, _"Wonderful. Oh, it will be a pleasure to see you so often."_

The young Minister nodded, forgetting that he could not see, and gazed across the land. "Japan is very nice. But . . . a change of scene will be more than welcome."

((()))

Earth, Moscow  
April 13th – 1:20 pm

"So," Quatre folded his hands behind his back as they strolled down the sidewalk, the afternoon sun warming their backs, "you wanted to speak to me, Heero?" He tried to smile and it seemed to wither on his mouth at the other boy's cold glare.

Unspeaking, the brown-haired young man leisurely came to a stop and turned to face the shorter teen. The spring breeze ruffled his bangs as he reached behind him and grabbed the magazine sticking out of his back pocket. His mouth curled angrily, and he handed Quatre the booklet, then crossed his arms over his dirty tank-top, indigo eyes accusatory.

As crowds pressed around them on their way through Russia's capitol, the blond boy began to feel more and more claustrophobic, and Heero's piercing glare didn't help matters. Swallowing, the saffron-haired trillionaire unfolded the magazine and gaped.

Flushing, Quatre shoved the paper at Heero, the image of himself and Relena passionately kissing emblazoned on the cover. "This – this is not true! That did NOT happen!" He hung his head shamefully and said, "I . . . Heero, we're just friends, and unfortunately the media decided to take _advantage_ of that."

"You're kissing."

"Can't you _tell_ a fake when you _see_ one?!" Quatre cried, hands raised and open.

"Fake or not," Heero's baritone voice was icy, "everyone thinks that you kissed her."

"Not _everyone_, just . . . the _stupid_ people."

Suddenly, someone in the press of pedestrians began crying out, and the two pilots turned to find a man pressing through the crowd. "_Bozhe moi_! You are the man who kissed Queen Relena! Look!" he called out behind him, and Quatre covered his face with his hands. "It's that Arabian King who kissed Queen Relena!"

Heero glared at them both in turn, then took Quatre's arm and led him back towards the Preventer's headquarters. "This is ridiculous," he spat as the Russian natives began gathering around them, chattering incessantly.

"I'm not a _king_, and I don't even _live_ in the Middle East!" Quatre gasped as he was thrown through the opening electric doors. Brushing himself off, the golden-haired young man declared to his captor, "I don't care what they say or think, Heero, you have to trust me. I'd never do that." The doors slid shut and they walked up to the security station.

"So I had believed," the slender man told him flatly, glaring with cold Prussian eyes.

"Um . . . _had_?" Quatre nervously set down his car keys, two pistols and wallet and let the security man scan him. "What do you mean?" He handed the security officer his Concealed Weapons I.D. card, and the man nodded, then glanced over at the other officer dealing with Heero.

"Sir, you can't be serious . . ." The officer scratched her head as Heero placed another knife on the pile, then pulled out his semi-automatic Luger he had strapped to his inner-calf under his jeans. The redhead's mouth widened and she shook her head. "I see that you have a C.W.I.D., but isn't this a bit extreme?"

"Hmm." His harsh glare rose to her face and she flushed. "May I leave now?"

"Um, yes, just walk through the archway," she stuttered, then went to check her display as he passed through. "Uh . . . all clean . . . you can get your . . . arsenal now."

"Ohhh," Quatre held one hand over his eyes and shook his head as Heero began loading his weapons back onto his person. "You just never change, do you, Heero?"

The other boy's brows rose as he finished tucking the last gun away. "Quatre. Maybe you should get 'Queen Relena' to fake 'dump' you." He began marching off, the trillionaire at his heels.

"Heh-heh," the slightly shorter teen chuckled nervously as he struggled to keep pace without running, "if that will keep you from killing me, count on it!" He began to jog, then skidded to a halt when Heero stopped suddenly. "How do you walk so fast?"

"Genetic manipulation." He turned to stare into Quatre's blue-green eyes. "I hope you plan on asking her soon."

"Um, Heero . . ." The blond winced, then plowed forward. "You . . . might want to consider visiting Japan . . . sometime."

The sullen teen dropped his head, then, very slowly, his hand began to tighten around the magazine. "Yeah. I know."

((()))

Earth, Moscow  
April 13th – 1:21 pm

Une turned to the vid'phone and smiled again. "You really want to go to Italy that badly?"

"_I think you know what I want," _ the woman on the screen gave a feral grin. _"And you need my help if they're going to come out of there alive."_

Shaking her head, the Director sighed. "Oh, and why should I trust you? As I recall, you were one of them once. A turncoat doesn't suit my tastes."

"_Or does it remind you too much of yourself?" _

Glaring coldly at her caller, Une drew out every word intently. "I . . . _know_ . . . why you're doing this. And it's not for me . . . or for the Foundation. It's for _him._" The girl blanched and Une cackled. "So, go ahead, I won't stop you. I know you won't allow any harm to come to him."


	3. Chapter 3

Okay, first off, **WE ARE SO SORRY THAT IT TOOK SO LONG TO UPDATE!! **(sob)

Next, in appreciation of all our patient readers and sweet reviewers, here are replies/answers/comments to your reviews.

**Catwho**! I wrote more Modern Day! I did! And CEP is writing more of his . . .sometimes . . . (glares at ball-and-chain)

We're really glad everyone likes the humor. The dolls were Crazy Elf Paladin's idea. (as usual) Nice to see you, Funny Bones, Toki Mirage and Shahrezad, though I'm not sure what you mean by "prey". Maybe we're forgetting something. Me and CEP also hope that anyone who're not fans of the couples we have will still like it, so if that's what you're suggesting Penbee of Treewood, we're hopeful that we'll still entertain. BakaAngel: we laughed like crazy too. It's all CEPs idea, that part!

**criminal wreckchords**: oh, believe us, there will be much angst coming up. Unfortunately, with Duo around it's hard to not have comedy after comedy.

**Mourning Ophelia**: We see what you mean, so I suppose that it will just have to be a bit of A.U. since we dislike that spelling and concept. Sorry if that bugs you. At least we're not claming that we're accurate or anything.

**Wing**, you ARE sweet and kawaii. Thanks for your interest, and you'll find out (hopefully) soon more answers to your questions. Of course, you'll probably just get more questions posed, but . . . sorry, we're hooked on mystery!

**Morgana**: Well, we'll just see about William. At this rate, Heero won't be the only one to kill him, just on general principles. Anyhow, as you'll see Relena and Heero aren't on the greatest of terms, so we'll have to see how it goes once they actually meet up.

**A.O.Y.U**. Thanks for such a literate review! We're really glad you're willing to wait, because unfortunately, we've made you guys wait a lot. (pout) Sorry! Really, really sorry!

So, then, on to the next chapter. And hopefully you'll all enjoy it just as much! A warning, though, not as much with Relena in this one. It's mostly set-up.

Ukchana (& Crazy Elf Paladin)

**Chapter 3**

Earth, Moscow  
April 13th – 1:25 pm

"So," the garnet-draped Director smiled faintly as she sat down at the conference table, "what decisions have you all come to?"

The group was gathered once more after the short recess, and glances were exchanged across the oak surface. After a few moments, Quatre began to speak. "We've all discussed it, and although we dislike not having access to the Preventer's armory, we've decided that the other benefits of this offer more than make up for that deficit." His azure eyes beamed as he looked at the other pilots. "We've agreed to your offer."

"Excellent," she grinned, leaning back with a far more relaxed air about her. "Then I believe the rest is up to you. School starts in a week. Your transcripts are prepared, and the fees will be paid before you arrive." She placed her hands behind her head and watched all of them in turn. "As you spoke with Preventer Po about earlier, false backgrounds will have to be made for each of you other than Quatre and Wu Fei, who is already known by the general public to be a Preventer." She paused as Quatre blinked, an inquisitive expression upon his face, then asked him, "Something wrong?"

Nodding, the blond queried, "I was curious as to what Wu Fei's reason for going along would be, and, also, who would be replacing him in his . . ." the young pilot paused and his voice grew softer, ". . . more permanent station here at the Preventers."

Arching a brow, Une noted the hardening expressions on Wu Fei and Heero's faces and gave Quatre a small smile. "Wu Fei's official reason for being there, if anyone asks, is to guard and assist you." Voice dropping in timber, she continued coolly, expression more severe, "As for that, we have _other_ agents who are capable of handling Vice Foreign Ministers."

In the resulting chilled silence, she continued, "Now then. None of your names will have to be changed, thankfully, but the Preventer Organization will reserve the capacity of alias creation. I'm afraid that I don't want any of you to make alterations to your personas personally." A slight smirk came to her lips as her chestnut eyes slid across them. "So, do you have any other questions before I leave you today?"

No one spoke, so Duo piped up, "Guess not. Come on, we've got shopping to do with our 'allowances'." The braided boy grinned and gave Une a victory sign, then grabbed his backpack from under the table and stood.

The rest of the group of youths rose from the table one after another as well. As they headed out the door, Duo straightening the pack on his back, Catherine giggled, "Oh, I've needed some new shoes! I hear Moscow has some wonderful clothing stores, too."

"Um, Catherine," Trowa glanced down at the curly-haired girl as they entered the outside corridor, "Duo doesn't mean clothes."

Slinging his arm across Hilde's shoulder and ignoring her annoyed glare, Duo beamed, "Well, clothes _are_ part of it. We have to buy some black Tac-Op uniforms, after all, unless all you guys still fit into your old ones."

The indigo-haired girl's eyes narrowed as they walked down the hallway, and suddenly she grabbed the hand on her shoulder, twisted Duo's wrist and punched him in the ribs with her other hand. "Mind your manners."

"Ow, ow," Duo clutched his side and wrist as everyone but Catherine chuckled at him, even Heero joining in for once. "Jeeze, what is this, 'Pick on Duo Day'?" His violet eyes grew large as he gazed up at Hilde pitifully. "I feel so used!"

"Can it, Repunzel," the tomboy chuckled, "no fish are biting today."

The group turned a corner as Duo let his shoulders droop melodramatically, then pulled his braid forward to clutch at it. "Oh, woe is me . . ."

As they reached the security check-point, Quatre glanced down at his belt as his phone began to buzz softly. The young blond took it out and looked at the display, only partially paying attention to the other teens as they were cleared by security. _Unlisted. Who could it be . . ._ Shrugging, he pressed the receive button and held it to his ear. "Hello?"

"_Hey, Quatre,_" a feminine voice spoke.

The cel'phone clattered onto the floor and everyone turned from the security station to look at him. "Um, sorry. Slipped." Flushing slightly, the golden-haired boy bent to pick it up, only to find Heero staring at him, the magazine in his hand. Lifting the phone to his ear, the trillionaire turned from the accusing glare and spoke into the mouthpiece. "Could you hold on just a second?"

"_Of course,_" the reply was vaguely puzzled. _"I didn't wake you, did I?"_

"No, no!" Tipping his head towards the expectant group of teens, the young blond beamed nervously. "Um, you guys go ahead, I have to take this call. I'll get anything I need later."

Trowa's tawny eyes rested on him for a moment, then the taller teen commented, "That's fine. Are you certain you don't want us to pick anything up for you?"

"Well," returned the fair-haired boy as he lowered the phone slightly from his mouth, "maybe a few things . . ."

With a low growl, the slight Chinese boy snapped, "Why don't you catch up with us later? Unless it's something that will take up your whole day," he scoffed as he returned his daggers to their sheaths, "you should be able to join us shortly."

Quatre nodded quickly and smoothed his vest with a nervous hand. "Of course. I'll call you when I'm done."

The other young man nodded, a sour turn to his mouth as he headed for the sliding doors that lead to the outside world. The rest of the group followed suit, Trowa tossing a wave to the blond before turning away.

Just before they stepped through the sliding doors, Duo began to sing over the chatter of the crowds, "Quatre's got a girl-friend, Quatre's got a — UGHH."

Quatre turned away from the partially collapsed Duo and shook his head. _I'm sure glad that Heero isn't inclined to gut-punch ME all the time._ Returning his attention to the phone, he began strolling through the bustling receiving area of the Preventer's headquarters. "Sorry about that, Relena. What's up?"

"_Well," _ she sighed, _"remember how William kept pressing me to go on a vacation?"_

The blond chuckled faintly as he glanced back at the entrance, free hand on the back of his neck. "He's not the only one who's been wanting you to go on a vacation." Nervously, he winced as he spotted a dark-haired teen pass by the glass doors, but, to his relief, it wasn't Heero.

"_Anyhow, I think this time I let him talk me into it."_

"That's great!" he beamed, for the moment forgetting his fear. "So, why so glum? Where did he suggest you go, Antarctica?" The fair-haired teen headed towards a nearby hallway, Preventers passing all around him.

"_No, it's not the where that's the problem. It's the who. He wants me to go with him to his school, and he would be the only person I know there."_

"And let me guess," Quatre smiled, "you'd like me to come along as your chaperone?"

"_Exactly! It would be just too strange to be there alone."_

"But, wouldn't Wu Fei be going with you as protection anyway?" the blond-haired boy asked as he paced down the unfamiliar corridors of the Preventers Headquarters, dress shoes snapping on the linoleum floors.

"_True," _Relena hedged, _"but he's so grumpy all the time. You're always cheery and it wouldn't feel like a real vacation unless I actually got to relax and have fun. I just can't imagine relaxing with Wu Fei!" _she chuckled lightly. _"He's nice and all . . ."_

"Well, he can be rather dour at times," the young Arabian told her as he began to climb a beautiful cerulean-tiled spiraling staircase placed along an outer wall of the building. _The only problem is that this trip might be scheduled to take place at the same time as this new mission. I'd really hate to have to choose between helping Relena or helping the other pilots. _ "So, where is this school located, anyway? I can't recall where William said he went to school." The blond walked past the landing of the second floor and continued up, turquoise eyes absorbing the wonderful view of Moscow out the large windows along the outer wall.

"_Somewhere in Italy, I think."_

Quatre blinked and stopped walking to gaze into the bright afternoon sky. _It can't be . . ._

"_I can't remember what it's called . . . something to do with Christ."_

Fumbling from sudden shock, Quatre barely caught the phone before it fell down two stories, then breathed slowly, his mouth wide. "Okay . . . there's no way it's the same school." Closing his eyes, he placed the phone to his ear. "Sorry about that, clumsy tourist bumped me," he lied, teal eyes glancing up and down the abandoned stairway. _Jeeze, telling one of your best friends white lies. _He winced and shook his head, tisking himself. _But_ _I can't exactly tell her I'm going to be going to school with Heero for the next few months, and that's why I can't go with her._

"Well, I'll . . . need to look over my schedule to find out if I'll be able to come with you. When are you planning on leaving?"

"_Hmm, the new quarter starts a week from now."_

_Damn,_ Quatre swore silently, running his free hand along the railing. "Hmm," he stalled for time, "well, I _might_ be able to go with you, I'm still looking at my planner . . ." _Another lie; I'll have to pray a lot tonight. _

"_That name is really bothering me, I know I have it written down somewhere," _ she paused and Quatre began to sweat, hand gripping the railing as she continued, _"here it is. It's called Castello de Cristo."_

Jaw slack, the young man slowly dropped his forehead to the railing and began repeatedly hitting his head upon the metal. _Thump. Thump. Thump._

"_What's that thumping noise?"_

"Nothing, nothing!" he quickly straightened and chuckled manically, waving his hand at the phone as if she could see it. "So, Castello de Cristo, huh?"

"_Yep. So, do you think you can go?"_

He sighed and shook his head at the Moscow skyline. "Dammit."

"_What?"_

"Oh," Quatre spoke quickly, "I just made a mistake in my planner, that's all." _Ouch, three lies in one day. This is what I get for hanging out with people who drink, gamble and curse. Spending time with Duo and Hilde really has a bad effect on me._

"_So, what do you think? It would really mean a lot to me if you could come."_

"Yeah," the well-dressed boy winced, "I think I can be there. Sure." _What the hell am I going to do _now_? _he wondered.

"_Great!" _ Relena exclaimed, and he sighed.

"Could you hang on just a second? I'll be right back."

"_Sure, that's fine."_

Quatre pulled the phone away from his ear and leaned an elbow on the railing. "What should I do now?" _It's so ironic, all those times Lucrezia and I tried to get Relena and Heero in the same room together, and now, just when fate throws them together, I have to find a way to keep them from finding out—_

"I'm so stupid!" the Arabian teen exclaimed, then smiled at his reflection in the glass. Bringing the phone back to his ear, he said, "Alright, I'm back. So, would you like me to tell Wu Fei and Director Une that I'll be going along as well, or do you want to do it?"

"_Could you do that for me?" _ she asked. _"It's getting rather late here in Japan and I'm so tired."_

"Sure, of course." Quatre looked at his reflection in the glass and wondered how he got into these situations. "You get some rest then, alright? I'll call you tomorrow about making plans to go to the school."

"_Okay, _ja'ne_!"_ she giggled at her use of Japanese, and hung up.

"Whew." The young blond turned off the phone and placed it into the holster at his hip, then stared down the spiraling turquoise staircase. "I've got my work cut out for me." _But if I can do this right . . . _He smiled and headed down the stairs. "I wonder where Une's office is."

((()))

"So, Wu Fei," Duo drawled as they stopped to look at the seedy store he'd led them to, "Uncle Dave's Military Surplus Store? _This _is where you bring us? What are we gonna buy, _moon_shine?" He adjusted his backpack along his shoulders and waited patiently in the cool afternoon breeze of downtown Moscow.

Scowling and crossing his arms, the Asian boy tightly replied, "You should not judge anything by its looks alone. Now get inside. NOW!"

Even though his tone was harsh, only Catherine stepped forward to go inside, her azure blouse shimmering in the sun as she headed up the stairs. The braided boy pulled his backpack around and began rooting through it as everyone watched, then pulled something out.

Pausing, Catherine let go of the door handle, periwinkle gaze confused. "What're you all waiting for?" she squeaked, casting a fearful glance at Wu Fei.

Duo held out a Shen Long doll and chuckled as he pressed the button, an unimpressed Hilde at his elbow tapping her foot. _"I don't kill _bleedinghearts_ or _wom_en,"_ came the snooty voice of the Preventer agent.

"Now that's a quote for the ages," chuckled the braided boy.

Wu Fei's knuckles cracked as he sent an onyx glare to the other teen, but before he could speak, Heero leisurely slipped past Trowa and Hilde and snatched Duo's long braid in his hand, tugging down while taking the doll from him.

"Hey!" Duo cried, violet eyes wide as the sullen pilot stalked over to the Chinese teen and silently handed him the miniature Gundam. "You're supposed to pay for those!"

Accepting with an uncertain look crossing his face, Wu Fei lowered his head to gaze at the doll. Between them, Heero turned his angry indigo gaze to the prankster. "Royalties."

The Asian Preventer turned away from the group and headed for the shop, mouth hard as he pulled the door handle. With a jangle of bells, the large wooden door swung open, and he stepped inside, black eyes taunt. He heard a slight _ting_ as the door was caught behind him, and the light steps of a girl following. Grunting, he pressed further down into the store, glaring at the merchandise until he came upon a display of mottled green and tan jackets. Forcing a calm façade, he pretended to look them over, all the while trying to gain some control over his rage.

The footsteps stopped behind him.

Finally, Wu Fei snapped at the jacket in his hand, "Why are you following me!"

"You're the one in the uniform, sugar," Catherine's soft voice spoke over his shoulder. "Normally I don't respect authority figures, but I decided to make an exception today." She moved to his side, touching another coat and looking at the price.

Able to see her now, Wu Fei dropped his head to hide the wrinkles marring his brow. "Then you're one of the few who ever will."

"Duo rubs people the wrong way," she said softly, "but I don't think this is about Duo." She glanced up at him, then slowly tucked a maroon strand of hair behind her ear.

The Asian teen peered down the length of the store, but it was empty, the silhouettes of his friends indistinct on the sidewalk outside the closed front door. "Why are you here, and everyone else is outside?"

"Heero's probably giving them a lecture on fair trade policies," she chuckled airily.

Grunting disbelievingly, Wu Fei turned and began walking down the corridors of the dimly-lit shop, glaring up at the wares for sale. "A waste of time. We need to purchase supplies." His fingers tightened slightly on the Shen Long doll, but he found he could not handle it without some gentleness. "Why are you _following_ me?" he finally repeated his demand, spinning to stare at her.

Her cornflower-blue gaze pinned him, and, hesitantly, she reached out a hand to lightly brush his other clenched fist with her fingers. "Do you always look so sad?"

"I am not-" he started furiously, then abruptly halted. _I hate her sympathy_, he told himself, yet his mouth was trembling. "Talk to me later, if you care so much," he finally sputtered, and turned away. "I refuse to discuss this . . . in such a place."

"You got a deal." Her light footsteps receded.

((()))

Une glanced up from her desk at the knock on her door and sighed into her cel'phone. "Darling, I'll have to let you go, alright?"

"_Alright,"_ came the soft soprano voice. _"I love you, Auntie Margarete."_

"I love you, too, Mariemaia," Une smiled gently. "See you later tonight."

Hanging up, the umber-haired Director leaned back in her chair and sighed, reaching under her desk to where a special compartment had been built to hold her gun. "Enter." Her hands grasped around it and she waited.

The door swung open, revealing Quatre's troubled visage, and she let go of the weapon with a smirk. "Hello, Quatre. What can I do for you?"

Hesitantly, he stepped into the office, glancing around, then shut the door behind him. "I was wondering if I could talk to you for a moment, Director," he told her warily.

"You look troubled," Une remarked airily, gesturing towards one of the chairs opposite her desk. "Sit down, please." She adjusted her deep scarlet suit-coat and patiently waited for him to comply.

The blond frowned, then took a seat across from her and folded his hands in his lap. "I guess I am." His eyes narrowed faintly. "I was wondering . . . why we're going to the same school as Relena is."

_Ah, so it begins. _ Beaming, the red-garbed woman ran a hand through her chestnut hair and chuckled lightly. "So, she decided to go through with it. And called you as well. Good."

He glared at her a bit. "That doesn't answer my question."

"Of course," Une sighed, rolling her brown eyes. "Well, let's just say . . . it's more convenient this way."

"What do you mean, exactly?" the young man asked, straightening his suit-coat and settling into the chair. "I'd really like to know. Also, how did you know about Relena's plans in the first place? Bugs?"

Laughing, Une shook her head. "Oh, no. You have to understand that, besides yourself, and Hilde occasionally, Relena really doesn't have too many people to talk to. She confided in Wu Fei and later Po about whether she should go on a vacation at all, and about William and his suggestion." One brow rose and she gave him a tart smile. "I heard wind of it and spoke to her about it, and she admitted that she was considering it, as long as you were willing to go along."

"So," Quatre's teal eyes tightened, "you're just intending on making us find some way to get her to go along with it once she finds out that Heero is there? She won't, you know."

"I know," Une nodded. "Not unless it's too late. Though it may seem otherwise, Miss Relena _does_ concern herself with public appearance. It wouldn't do for her to be seen leaving the school as soon as she arrives. Not very stable for a Vice Foreign Minister, don't you think? I'm certain that you and your friends, minus Heero of course, can come up with a plan."

Slumping into the chair, Quatre glared up at the plaster ceiling. "Great." Then he straightened and blinked at her. "She asked Wu Fei what he thought? When?"

Une studied her nails. "Oh, I think a month ago or so."

His expression fell and he straightened in the chair. "I thought she found Wu Fei annoying."

"Jealous?" With a wink, Une said, "Believe me, he _is_ annoying. But I think she finds his logic to be less affected by emotion and he's perhaps more unbiased. Also, he _is_ her primary bodyguard during diplomatic situations, after all." _Good, he's not suspected anything else. _

Glumly, Quatre shrugged. "Okay, I guess that's that. Though I still find it surprising that you're trying to set Relena and Heero up like this."

"Oh," the Director smirked, "I guess somewhere at heart I'm a romantic. No?"

It was Quatre's turn to roll his eyes, and he stood up, dusting off his suit-coat out of habit. "So, why _don't_ you have a receptionist?"

Turning to gaze out the window, Une replied, "When I get attacked, they just get killed off. It's easier this way, and we pay for fewer departmental funerals."

Blinking, the saffron-haired boy backed up until he hit the door. "Oh."

She gave him a cool smile, then waved him away. "Have fun. I'd suggest informing Wu Fei first. Ask Po for any additional help you may need."

"Right." Quickly, the trillionaire grabbed the doorknob and opened the door. "See you around, then, Director." He darted out the door and closed it behind him.

Allowing herself a modest amount of diabolical laughter, Une smirked at the shut door and shook her head. "Kids."

((()))

"But a gun is just what you _need_!" Hilde stressed, azure eyes wide. "Come on, Catherine!"

Chuckling nervously, the curly-haired girl shook her head and stepped away from the firearm brandished in Hilde's hands. "Um, no, really . . . I don't think that's a good idea."

"C'mon, let me see your forearms." Setting down the gun on the counter, the dark-locked teen grabbed her muscles. "Well, you ain't no lightweight. You can handle a .45, easy."

Her periwinkle eyes widened and she tugged her arms free. "I don't think I should have a forty-five anything!" she stressed, looking around the shop for any help. "T-Trowa . . ."

The boys all seemed to be in the back, trying on form-fitting black jumpsuits, if Duo was any indication. She glared at him as he closed the changing room door behind him, then began adjusting the outfit. "Duo!" Catherine called over the racks of clothing and shelves of boots, "come tell Hilde I don't need a gun!"

Glancing up, the braided-haired boy smiled a bit and began making his way over to them. "Hilde, she doesn't need a gun."

"But-" the girl frowned, yet Duo shook his head.

"This girl's deadly with knives," he beamed, "according to Trowa, anyhow. Right, Cathy?" He winked at the acrobat as she scowled.

"That's not the point!" Catherine growled, "and I've never _killed_ anyone before!" Crossing her arms, she shook her curls as she sniffed and looked away. "You're impossible!"

"Get her some Bowies," Duo reiterated, violet eyes flicking between the two girls. "Don't forget, Catherine, who you're going to this school with. 'Kay?" With an unusually serious expression, he turned and headed back to the changing rooms, leaving Catherine to slump and sigh heavily.

"You heard the man," Hilde smirked. "Don't worry, if all goes well, you'll never even have to use them."

—

Stepping out of the dressing room with his new TAC uniform, Wu Fei glanced around the surplus store. Spaced randomly around the wares, the other Gundam pilots were already picking out their equipment. Hilde seemed to be forcing some knives onto Catherine, Duo right beside her, while Trowa appeared to be looking over some night vision goggles in the more technological area of the shop. Only Heero remained out of sight at the moment, something Wu Fei himself wished he could be.

Glancing down at the Shen Long figurine in his hand, the Chinese Preventer frowned, then tucked it under his arm and carried his new TAC outfit with him towards the front of the store.

Wu Fei trudged past a display of gas masks, then a long wall of boots and shoe-ware, all the while thoughts churning within his mind. _Why does Duo have to be so grating? The last thing I want is to be reminded of my past and my faults._ Glancing down at the doll, his shoulders drooped a bit, and he winced. _After all, I still can't get Sally to stop calling me a misogynistic bastard whenever she gets angry at me._

Having decided that he had all the equipment he would need, being a Preventer of course, Wu Fei set down the TAC uniform on the counter by the register. Just as he reached for his wallet in the back of his slacks, his cel'phone began to ring. "Great. Hang on," he told the scruffy-looking older woman behind the counter, "just a moment."

Black eyes narrow, the young man pressed the 'accept' button and brought the phone to his ear. "Chang."

"_Hey, Wu Fei,"_ Quatre's inordinately subdued voice spoke in his ear. _"How are all of you doing?"_

"Fine, considering. I almost killed Duo. Other than that . . . Oh, and Catherine is being forced to purchase Bowie knives out of the possible need for self-defense." His eyes flicked over the group again, then he sighed as he saw that Heero had somehow appeared without him noticing. "And Heero is still here. Is this why you called?"

"_Not . . . exactly."_ He could almost feel Quatre's wince.

"What is it then? I don't have all day."

"_The call I got . . . was from Relena."_

Wu Fei closed his eyes and counted to ten. "Shit."

"_Yeah. Why didn't you say anything?" _ the blond demanded over the phone.

Glancing around again, the Asian boy tossed his head back and forth, then told the aging woman, "I'll be right back. I still intend on purchasing that." She gave him a sullen glare, and he nodded to her curtly. "Thanks."

Appreciative that he still seemed to be on her good side, Wu Fei marched off to a more private corner of the store near some children's camouflage fatigues. "I would have, but I was hoping that she wouldn't go through with it."

"_And it didn't surprise you that Lady Une set us up to go to the same school that William wanted Relena to go to?"_

"Not exactly," Wu Fei scowled and glowered at the floor. "I figured that Une was hoping she might change her mind."

"_I'd suggest not keeping stuff like this a secret from now on. Anyhow, as you've probably guessed, Relena DID change her mind."_

"William is . . . _untrustworthy_," Wu Fei spat.

There was a pause, then Quatre's soft voice returned, _"Perhaps. I won't even ask why you seem to care so much, either."_

His comment received only a growl, then Wu Fei leaned against the wall, resting one foot against the brick. "Are you going to tell her about everything?" he demanded.

"_I'll assume you mean about everyone going to the school. No,"_ the trillionaire sighed into the phone, _"I think this will be best for everyone. Heero and Relena need to face each other once and for all, and not when the world is imploding, either."_

Scowl deepening, Wu Fei hissed, "He's a coward. He lets one woman control his life and influence his behavior and he refuses to accept it, thus incapacitating himself."

"_That wouldn't be the pot calling the kettle black, would it?"_

"I have no idea what you mean. Une does not control my life," snarled the dark-haired boy, his gaze once again returning to the occupants of the store.

"_I'm not talking about Une."_

Flushing, Wu Fei's eyes narrowed further and he fell silent. _If Relena's been telling him . . . STORIES . . . I'll have to yell at her the next time I see her._

"_Okay, okay, enough torment,"_ Quatre chuckled on the line. _"Obviously, a plan has to be made."_

"Precisely. But to what end? I still say she is foolish for caring about Heero if he refuses to face what is within himself."

"_Maybe. But neither one of them is going to have the chance to deal with that unless they're forced to. They're both rather stubborn." _ There was a pause, then Quatre added, _"We'll come up with a solution for _you_, later."_

"The solution is YOU being QUIET," Wu Fei snapped, "and _I_ go along with my life."

"_As you say,"_ his amused response returned. _"Lady Une said we should keep it a ruse until the very end. What do you think?"_

"Agreed." Scowling, Wu Fei conceded, "We will give them a chance to see how horrible they would be for each other."

"_Um . . . right."_

—

"So," Duo beamed at the grubby old man behind the gun display, "you're Dave?"

The man scratched his scruffy gray beard and wrinkled his nose at him. "Dave? That doesn't even make any sense. My name's Bill," his gruff voice returned.

Blinking, the auburn-haired young man glanced down at the name tag on the man's coat that clearly said 'Dave' on it. "Um, but your name tag." He glanced to either side of him at the two girls there. "It says 'Dave'."

"Hah," spat the old-timer, "this jacket ain't mine. It belongs to Dave."

"Um . . ." His eyes slid over to the only other employee there, the rough-looking knotty-haired woman glaring over at Wu Fei and occasionally the rest of them. "I guess Dave's not in at the moment." _I wonder what Wu Fei is doing over there in the corner by the kiddie clothes._ _ Eww . . ._

"What're ya, blind?" the man said, then leaned an elbow on the display case. "Dave's over by the register."

Hilde gave Duo a shrug, her cerulean eyes confused. "_I_ donno'."

Turning to sneak a peak at the middle-aged gal who appeared slightly deranged, Duo frowned. "Um, but she's a woman, dude."

"God DAMMIT!" yelled the wheezing old man, "that IS Dave!"

The woman turned to glower at them, and the geezer snapped, "Dave, ain't this your coat?"

"Screw you," her guttural voice returned as she pulled out a cigar and a lighter. "Are you kids gonna buy somethin' or what?"

Catherine covered her head and attempted to become invisible.

"See," muttered Bill with a grin, revealing a ghastly lack of teeth and a display of disturbing remaining ones. "That's Dave, alright."

Timidly, Hilde spoke up, pointing at an assault rifle. "Yeah, I was thinking of buying some guns!" she informed the lady sweetly.

"Good, get to it!"

With a wince, the short-haired girl chuckled lightly, returning her eyes to the gun in the display case. "Hey," she breathed, "this still has it's full-auto enabled."

The black-garbed young man next to her glanced down. "Dude, fully-automatic. When in Russia," he shrugged. "That's totally cool."

"And illegal," a male voice spoke above them flatly.

All three teens turned to look up at Heero, whose indigo eyes were glaring down at them. "If you buy it, I doubt you could keep it."

"If I become a Preventer I might be able to," Duo talked back bravely, yet a twinge of nervousness still lit his eyes. "So there."

"Hey," Bill interrupted, "you kids seem to know what'cher talkin' about. You know explosives?"

Grinning, the brown-haired boy turned back to him with only a slight pause at putting Heero at his back, "My specialty."

With a snort, the salty geezer pulled something from behind the counter and set it on the glass, revealing a canister of something. "You'll appreciate this, then."

"What is it?" Catherine dared to speak again, cornflower-blue eyes worried. "Will it explode?"

"Hell yes!" the elderly fellow smacked the counter hard. "Give it a sniff, boy."

Blinking, Duo leaned forward, amethyst eyes popping. "Jeeze, smells like napalm!"

"Good nose, boy," sniffed the man.

"What is it? Is it really napalm?" the braided boy asked excitedly.

"Nope. Blue-Mountain Water." He gave his ghastly smile again.

Hilde stared at the canister. "Huh?"

"Take a swig," Bill offered to Duo. "But don't drink too much, or you'll go blind."

"Holy crap!" the pilot grinned, "There IS moon-shine here!" He began to reach for it, but a tug on his braid suddenly sent his head backwards. "Hey!"

"No way!" Hilde snapped, dark sapphire eyes tight. "That's just plain dumb, even for you."

"Aw," he whined, and the geezer chuckled.

"Never-mind, then," the old-timer beamed and set the container back on the floor behind the case. "Don't wanna cause no trouble with the missus."

A snort came from behind them and they turned to look, blushing, at Heero, who smirked down at them. "Shut up," Duo muttered, straightening his leather jacket.

"I didn't say anything," the other boy returned. "If you're done, we should leave."

Catherine practically jumped behind him, saying, "Yes, please!"

Pouting, the aquette looked after her. "But Cathy! They have A.P. bullets here! Think of what we could do with those!" she cried excitedly, the cute purple beret upon her head quite incongruous with her talk of weaponry. "We could shoot through trucks! Houses! Trees, even!"

Holding up his hands, Heero gazed down at Hilde, their blue eyes meeting. "Leave her be. You shouldn't try to involve civilians so much."

"You pilots?" the old man wheezed, returning their attention to him. "You gotta be somethin' good if Wu Fei brought ya'."

Trowa approached, then, no doubt curious as to why Heero was shielding Catherine. "What's going on?" the Buddhist asked uncertainly.

"All of us are," Duo answered the aging fellow, "except for Catherine, there."

"You'll all like this, then," he cackled, then raised his voice. "I'm gonna show 'em the good stuff in back, Chang! That alright with you, Dave?"

"Screw you!"

"Okay, good," Bill nodded, "got the boss' okay."

From across the sales floor, Wu Fei sputtered and began to jog over to them, "Wait, you have no idea what they'll _do_ if they get their hands on that equipment!"

"Sweet!" Duo beamed, "Happy Birthday, everybody! Hurry, dude, go, go!" He waved his hands at the geezer, who opened a back door and laughed huskily.

"Wait! Damn you, Maxwell!"

Duo ducked through the doorway just as Wu Fei was about to grab his jacket, disappearing into darkness. "Where's the _lights_?"

Bill reached a hand in as Wu Fei seethed. "Here," he flipped a switch, and brilliance illuminated a gigantic room the size of a small indoor tennis court.

"Alright!" Duo whistled, finding himself standing under a blocky onyx-painted jet aircraft. "An old Harrier! With it's 61 mil still installed, even!"

Hilde bounded in and stood beside him, blue eyes glittering. "Look under the wings, it's even got the missiles!" Slapping the Gundam pilot next to her on the back, she said, "Wow, wouldn't it be great to get that thing into the air? It's been so long since I piloted aircraft!"

Beyond the jet, they could also see a few tanks and other assault vehicles shrouded with plastic coverings.

Just then, they heard someone clear their throat behind them. "We're going to a school," Wu Fei's cold voice informed them. "Not a battlefield. You'll have no use for this."

Turning to the spectators, Duo slumped and said, "Aw, c'mon, just a test-flight?"

The three men and one frightened girl all shook their heads with differing expressions. "No," Wu Fei spoke for all of them. "Now, let's get going."

Trowa, an amused look on his face, spoke up finally. "What about Quatre, by the way? He never joined up with us."

"He called me," Wu Fei said softly as Bill motioned Duo and Hilde back. "We can get him supplies later, if necessary." Ignoring Heero's eyes on his back, Wu Fei stalked out of the hanger and back into the store. "Pay for your things," he told everyone once they were out into the open again. "It's almost time for the store to close."


	4. Chapter 4

Hey, everyone! Wow, it's sure been a long time . . . (cries) I'm so sorry! CEP is sorry too, but he's not crying . . .

So it's been 5 months since we last updated . . . (looks around nervously) Is anyone still here?

Well, time to answer reviews. At least now we're writing more, so we've already started chapter 5!

**Shahrezad1**: glad to see you again! Review Modern Day! C'mon! I miss you! Anyhow, CEP and I agree that the Gundam pilots are a bit too gun-happy . . .but then again, they are teenagers. And those were the "toys" they grew up with . . . now I feel dirty.

**Two-BitGortez**: Is that supposed to be Gortex? Anyhow, is that all you have to say?! WAAAAAAAHHHH!! CEP says (gee, I hope it's not Gortex. That would sting.)

**Saki**: Thanks, we try to have a good plot that doesn't lack those well-loved elements such as intellect, charm and in-characterness. Too bad the rest of "fanfic" land doesn't feel the same, but what can one do? CEP says (Actually, they think they ARE doing those things, which is even more sad.)

**Wing**: Are you male or female? CEP is curious. We like twists too, and Une seems to be really good at them, considering how much time she spent around Treize and how hard she struggled to be more . . . graceful. (snicker). William is the mystery meat of this fanfic right now, but hopefully he won't be too much more mysterious. (CEP: "He's too weeks old and looks kinda grey.") Ironic, how when all the GW pilots get together the humor seems to erupt like a volcano . . . damaging everything in its path. (J/K)

**Genkai Lady**: What does Genkai mean? I know what genki means . . . Anyhow, no, Quatre and Wu Fei are not trying to break Relena and Heero up. How could they when they're not together yet? And what do you take them for, do you think Quatre and Wu Fei are the threesome type? LOL! What, will they share Relena every other day? (CEP: "Ew . . .")

Also, people can be nice to each other without wanting to date each other. (now we know where all those rumors about Duo and Heero being gay came from: the fact that neither seemed to truly despise one another.) So, no, Catherine and Wu Fei are not an automatic couple because she was concerned about him. HOWEVER, though we were a bit annoyed with the romantic nature of your review, we definitly appreciate that you noticed and liked how we actually did some background on this "highschool" idea. :-) We hate those fanfics that give no good reason for them to be in a high school and suddenly launch preppy teenage girls upon them in droves. (CEP: "We'll be launching preppy teenage girls too, but more like 'into orbit' . . .")

Alright, on to the next chapter! Hope someone read these review responses, because they had some important things in them!!

(HINT, HINT)

PS:Because of the stupidity of fanfiction dot net, we have to make the "foreign language" have dashes -- instead of the carrots we were using. Now it no longer accepts carrots, parenthesis, OR astrixs. We hate ffdotnet.

**Chapter 4**

Earth, Izumo  
April 13th – 10:05 pm

Pulling back the covers to her lilac-colored canopy bed, Relena yawned and rubbed her eyes. "Every day is so similar to the one before, here," she told herself, sitting onto the bed and gazing around her room. "But the last thing I should be doing is wishing for excitement."

_Honk-honk,_ sounded a horn from the front driveway, and the honey-blonde girl frowned. "What the hell?" With a growl, she stood up and began to stomp over to the open window, tossing back her head angrily. "If that's you, William," she screamed as she stuck her head out, "I swear to – Dorothy?!"

Three floors below her, the long-haired socialite waved a hand enthusiastically, a flashlight below her chin eerily illuminating her features. "Please, Relena," she called back, "don't take my name in vain!" and began to chortle.

Relena slumped to the sill as the girl below guffawed at her own joke, her eyes narrowing. "Dorothy," came her suddenly calm voice, her cerulean gaze dropping to the visitor, "what _are_ you doing here? I haven't seen you since the wedding!"

"Girls' night out!" the barely-lit teen cried, hopping a bit in a quite uncharacteristically giddy manner and tossing her free hand through the air again. "To celebrate your vacation in Italy, of course!"

­—

"I see that you ditched your gigantic gold limo," Relena said as she pulled her seatbelt on.

"Well," Dorothy beamed, "it's really not much fun to drive a limo."

Relena gazed out of the window of the other girl's gold-painted corvette and shook her head at the night sky. "You're lucky my mother is a deep sleeper. She'll have a fit when she finds out."

"Who says she will?" The platinum-blonde started up the sports car and drove sedately away from the Dorlan mansion, heading onto the deserted road nearby. "After all, you left out the window; no evidence."

Arching an eyebrow, the Vice Foreign Minister quipped, "Thanks to your grappling gun. Dorothy, you truly disturb me sometimes."

"You're one to talk, Miss 'NOOOOOOOOO!!'" Dorothy cried melodramatically, tossing back her head as she accelerated onto the highway.

With a huff, the smaller girl glared out at the moon and stuck up her chin. "Shut up."

"Good to see you more relaxed. Now we just have to get you to have some fun instead of sulking all the time."

"I don't sulk!" Relena exclaimed, crossing her arms. "Where are we going, anyhow? And how _did_ you know about my vacation to Italy?!" She turned to toss an indigo glare at the driver.

Shrugging, Dorothy smiled primly and narrowed her eyes at the road just as a sharp turn appeared, and Relena screamed as they raced around the curve, tires squealing. "I have my ways," the taller girl cackled at her passenger's reaction.

"You've gotten _more_ crazy since we've last met!" the young politician announced, glowering again.

Dorothy shook her head. "No, I just like teasing you."

"Argh." Leaning back, Relena began to chuckle, and found the other teen joining her. "Well, I don't know where you came from, how you got here or even why, but I have to admit it IS nice to get out and just feel normal."

Giving her a grin, the silvery-haired girl glanced over and nodded. "I can certainly empathize with that." Her ice-blue eyes touched upon Relena's and for a moment, there seemed to be something else hidden there beneath her easy camaraderie . . . but after that instant, it had gone.

(((())))

Earth, Moscow  
April 13th – 5:25 pm

"You know," Duo mused as he glanced around the restaurant, "I usually don't eat at establishments whose name I can't read."

The four other young men and three women lowered their menus and looked at him from around the large, circular table they were seated at. "It's in _Chinese_, Duo," Sally chuckled, shaking her dirty-blonde head. _I knew joining them for dinner would be a humorous experience. Good thing I caught Quatre on the way out._

"Yeah," the braided pilot cried out, affronted. "Even the menu is in Chinese! I can't read _kanji_."

"That's not Chinese, that's Japanese, you moron," Hilde kicked him and went back to reading her menu. _Jeeze, he's acting like he's nine . . . I mean, he's cute when he's hyper, and I know he's excited about seeing all his friends again, but it's starting to get old . . ._ She frowned and glared down at the table.

"It is called _hànzì_," the Asian teenager seated across the round table growled, onyx eyes hard. "And it is your fault for being illiterate."

Glaring back, Duo snapped, "It's _CHINESE_. Of course I can't read it, I would'a had to start learning when I was a _fetus_!"

"That is because you are a _SLOW LEARNER!_" Wu Fei shouted, drawing the attention of several other diners in the restaurant.

Smirking, the female Preventer agent raised her hands. "Okay, kids, settle down. My, it's hard to believe you two are old enough to vote."

"It's all HIS fault!" they yelled in sync, then glowered at each other.

Turning up his nose, Wu Fei muttered, "Illiterate."

Hilde began to chuckle quietly and shook her head. _That's better . . . who knew a Gundam pilot could be so much fun to tease?_

Sighing, now that everyone had decided to ignore him, Duo stared at the menu in his hands. "But how am I supposed to read it?"

Heero spoke up dully, a sadistic twinkle in his eye, "You could try reading the English translation on the other side. Unless you really _are_ illiterate."

"Huh?" Duo blinked, violet eyes wide, and flipped over the menu as the indigo-locked girl at his side laughed loudly. "Hey, why didn't anybody _tell_ me I was looking at the wrong side?!"

"I _like_ watching you make an ass of yourself," Hilde murmured as she looked over her menu. As he began to fume by glaring at the edge of the table, she shot him a side-long grin. "It's cute."

Shocked, the raven-clad young man stared at the Chinese side of the menu. _Wow. Does she mean that? Should I make an ass of myself more often_? _Or, does this mean that she thinks I'm cute all the time? But what if she only thinks I'm cute when I act like a moron, so that-_

Just then, a slender Asian waiter appeared, smile across his face and mouth opening to speak.

"EVERYONE WILL ORDER NOW!" Wu Fei yelled, cutting off the waiter before he could say anything.

The waiter and the group of young adults all leaned back, away from him, in stunned silence. "Um," said the man, taking out a pad of paper, "if . . . you're ready."

"They _are_," continued the Chinese Preventer.

"Oh," Sally mused from where she sat at his left, looking at the _hànzì _side of the menu, "I don't think so. I think I need more time. But if everyone else is ready to order, go right ahead," she beamed, winking at Wu Fei as he clenched his fists and glared up at her. "What's wrong, Wu Fei? Do you need more time, too?"

Standing suddenly and slamming his palms down on the table, Wu Fei snapped in Chinese, "How dare you undermine me like that! It is my responsibility to oversee these reprobates, not yours!"

She raised a slender brow at him and leaned back in her chair, everyone watching them intently. "Oh? But they're not all hooligans, you know. And I dare quite easily. After all, I _am_ technically your superior, aren't I?"

The male agent's voice rose, tone roughening as his fingers tightened into fists at his side, "Semantics are not my concern! You're my partner, so start acting like one!"

"I'm your _Preventer_ partner," the older woman stressed, leaning over her folded arms to narrow her eyes at him, "not your _WIFE_."

Trowa smiled a little as the waiter disappeared swiftly on that note. "And yet the two of you would make such a lovely couple," he commented in English. "Remember, Wu Fei, passion is a vice. One must learn to master one's emotions, not allow them to master oneself."

Drained and blushing slightly, the Chinese teen sat back down into his seat, folding his arms across his chest. "Alright."

To his left, Sally bowed her head, brow furrowed and cheeks flushed, but she said nothing.

"Ahem," Quatre cleared his throat in the resulting silence, "so . . . I hope the waiter comes back."

On that note, everyone but the two combatants turned to look towards where the waiter had disappeared, only to catch the restaurant staff gazing at them in interest. Immediately, the workers fled to their various tasks in shame, ducking their heads.

Trying to ignore the fact that Heero still stared at him from time to time – and the fact that the only obstacle between them was Hilde - Duo leaned over towards said indigo-haired girl to his left and muttered, "Good thing we don't fight like _that_, huh, Babe?"

"Yeah," Hilde returned, "usually I toss you out _way_ before this point."

"Definitely," he nodded his sienna head, then frowned. "Hey."

"Anyway, I know what I want," Hilde breathed airily.

On the other side of the table, Catherine gazed sadly over at the young Chinese man sulking next to her. With a sigh, she turned to whisper to Trowa, "What was all that about 'a lovely couple'? You shouldn't be so mean to Wu Fei, he seems to be under a lot of stress."

"I wasn't being mean," the young man to her right replied, brown eyes intent upon the two quiet Preventer agents. "I was being honest. And it snapped them out of it, didn't it?"

"Is this normal between them?" the female acrobat asked softly, eyes warily glancing around the table.

Quatre bent towards them as well, murmuring, "From what I've heard, yes."

((()))

Earth, Izumo  
April 13th – 11:25 pm

"Okay," Dorothy said as she pulled Relena over to the bar, "first we get you sauced."

"What?!" the Minister looked around the sports bar in shock, but none of the inebriated patrons seemed to notice them. "Dorothy, why don't _you_ get drunk while I just sit in a corner and hide." Her pained cerulean eyes flickered over the bar counter and down to her hands clasped over her goldenrod sweater.

"Because I'm the driver, sweetie," the girl shook her head and suddenly shoved Relena onto a bar stool. "Sit there, goldilocks."

The shorter girl watched as Dorothy sat down next to her and tossed back her long waves of hair. "Now what?"

"Now you get something to drink and we talk!" Dorothy gave her a dazzling smile and a wink. "For example," she began, then waved over the bartender. "Bartender! _Baaten_," she cried, "could we get some drinks?"

A middle-aged Hispanic woman sauntered over and leaned on the counter. "_Nani o nomimasu ka_?" she asked with a perfect dialect.

"I want to get my friend here," Dorothy told the barkeep, "drunk, as fast as possible. What do you suggest?"

The woman smiled knowingly and replied, "Tequila."

"But," Relena shook her head as Dorothy clapped and laughed. "No, wait . . ."

"Okay!" the taller girl announced, "that's what you're drinking!"

Frowning, the Vice Foreign Minister chastened, "I can't drink that, it's way too dangerous. Do you know what that much alcohol does to your brain?!"

"Oh, Rela, you could stand to lose a few brain cells!" Dorothy snapped at her. "You think too much as it is."

The bartender raised a brow at them and said, "First off, though, you both eighteen?"

Nodding, they waited.

"Got any I.D.?" she laughed and rested her palms on the bar.

Relena blanched slightly and turned to look at Dorothy. "Dor-"

"Here, Rela," Dorothy reached down to the floor towards the other girl's purse, "let me get yours out for you."

"But-"

"No buts," she smiled, coming back up, "it's your night, Rela!"

Frowning, Relena leaned over and murmured, "Why do you keep calling me that?" then blinked as the platinum-haired girl handed two cards to the bartender.

The Hispanic woman looked at them, then at the cards. "Okay, looks fine to me, girls."

The barkeep handed back the I.D.s to them respectively, and Relena took hers, eyes widening a bit at the name. "_Rela Duncast"? Bleh._ Tucking the fake I.D. into her purse, she glanced over at Dorothy and shook her head at the sweet smile upon her face.

"As I was saying," Dorothy began, "we get something to drink and talk."

"Talk about what?" asked Relena, more calmly now that she felt safe from scrutiny.

"Hmm, how about your love life." Dorothy gazed at her with serious ice-blue eyes.

Raising a brow, Relena said, "No thanks."

"Okay," the other blonde nodded, "how about, 'did you know I'm going to be going to Castello de Cristo as well'?"

"Huh?" Shocked, Relena blinked at her, then turned as a large glass was set down in front of her. "Um . . ." She stared at the pale greenish fluid then back up at the barkeep, tugging on her sweater nervously. "Isn't this a bit much?"

"Drink up," she told her, smiling. "_Nomi-nomi_," she quipped in Japanese, and headed off towards the other side of the bar while tossing a chuckle behind her.

Staring at the glass, Relena sighed, then glanced over at Dorothy with narrowed eyes. "Okay, if I drink this, then you have to do something for me in return."

"Oh?" The platinum-locked girl raised a double-brow and looked at her curiously. "And what's that?"

With a smirk, Relena sipped the tequila, then winced at the horrible taste and strength. "Why, we talk about _your_ love life, of course!" she announced cheerily.

Paling, Dorothy turned to look across the bar and called out to the bartender, "Give her beer!"

Unfortunately for her, the noise of the sports bar drowned out her words, and the shorter girl next to her just chuckled and continued trying to imbibe her less-than-palatable drink. "But why mince words," the young minister smirked, sapphire eyes sparkling. "Let's get to the real subject . . ."

"And what's that," Dorothy glanced up at the televisions on the wall and tried to look nonchalant while nervously swinging one leg back and forth.

"Why, Quatre, of course," Relena smiled, raising the glass to her. "Okay, let's see how much of this I can drink at once."

With a frown, the long-haired girl next to her growled, "If that's our subject, I think I need that drink more than you do." She sighed and shook her head. "Maybe we can call a cab."

(((())))

Earth, Moscow  
April 13th – 6:41 pm

"Hey, everybody, we should read our fortune cookies to each other!" Quatre beamed as the tiny wrapped objects were placed before each of them on the cleared-away table.

"No, we should _not_," came Wu Fei's brusque reply, and the Asian teen crossed his arms and scowled at the offending confection. "They are not a Chinese tradition, they were created in the Americas by greedy restaurateurs."

To his left, Sally shook her head and rolled her eyes as she unwrapped her cookie. "Oh, Wu Fei, lighten up. What does it really matter, it's fun!" Breaking the cookie, she pulled out the fortune as the others around the table – excluding Heero and Wu Fei – followed her example.

The female agent looked at hers and read, "'Your calmness in times of strife will serve you well in the future.' See, Wu Fei, nice and vague and harmless," she told him, shooting him a violet-blue glance.

Unnoticed by the others, Heero dropped his gaze to the cookie before him, and carefully broke it, gaze unemotional as he removed the paper.

"I'll go next," Quatre offered to everyone, eyes twinkling excitedly. "Mine says, 'Compassion and kindness are gifts you grant to all whom you touch.'"

"-In bed!" appended Duo, earning him a gut-punch from the girl to his left. "Ow, hey, Hil_dee_!"

Sighing, Trowa shook his head. "I think those are both very accurate," he told Sally and Quatre. Giving a pointed glance to Duo, he continued, "I suppose I'll read mine, not that I really believe in them."

"But these were pretty telling, weren't they?" the blond teenager at his right pointed out.

With a nod and a smile, the acrobat shrugged. "That's true." He then glanced down at the fortune in his hand and recited, "'Trials and tribulations may be in your future; with a firm stance, nothing is impossible to overcome.'"

"-In bed!" This time Duo covered his stomach, but winced as Hilde smacked the back of his head.

"You loser," the indigo-haired girl chided him, grinning.

Exhaling heavily in annoyance, Wu Fei stood and reached for the bill in the center of the table, snapping, "Well, I should pay while you all continue this foolishness."

"No, no," Quatre shook his head, azure eyes concerned, "let me get it."

The Chinese Preventer scowled and told him, "I was just going to expense it. You don't really think we get paid that much, do you?"

Smiling, the fair-haired boy reached over to pick up the receipt and shrugged, "Just consider it an impromptu donation to the Preventers."

With a sullen nod, Wu Fei sat back into his chair and allowed him to take the bill. Across from him came the sound of a piece of paper being crushed, and he glanced over at the cold-eyed young man sitting there.

"Heero, what's wrong?" Quatre asked as he stood to pay the bill, turquoise eyes concerned.

The slender boy frowned slightly, his dark head dropping to look down at the ivory strip of paper crumpled in his hand. His Prussian eyes narrowed, but he handed over the fortune to the blond, gaze unfocused on the empty center of the round table.

Unfolding the fortune, the trillionaire blinked at it. "Heero, it's just blank," he told him as he flipped it over, "that's not . . ." Halting, he turned a little pale as all eyes but Heero's fell upon him.

On the back of Heero's crinkled fortune streamed a continuous row of zeroes.

"What is it, Quatre?" Trowa asked quietly, and the others blinked and looked at each other in confusion, then back up at the blond.

"Nothing, I just remembered something I forgot to do," he lied again, tucking the paper into the pocket of his slacks and glancing around the restaurant. "If you'll excuse me, I'll go pay the tab," he told them, then turned and headed away from the table, towards the front of the establishment.

In his peripheral vision, wait-staff and customers seemed to move in slow-motion, as Quatre neared the cashier station. _It's just a coincidence . . ._ Shaking his head, he took out the crumpled fortune and studied the row of zeros again. _There's no way it means anything, the Zero systems have been destroyed. _

He reached the register and presented the bill, then took out his wallet and from within it, a credit card. Azure eyes tired, he smiled weakly as a slight shudder jerked his hand as he held out the payment to the woman at the register. _It's just a fortune cookie . . . a misprint._

But as he was handed back his card and opened his wallet to replace it, he found himself slipping the fortune into the billfold and closing the wallet upon it.

((()))

Exhaling slowly, Sally folded her arms as she leaned against the wall of the hotel lobby and watched as Quatre cheerily paid for hotel rooms for each of the pilots and their two female companions. They all stood around him with their backpacks, duffel bags and suitcases in hand or resting on the ground . . . all but the un-hampered Wu Fei, who managed to stay just a few feet away, shoulders straight, expression callous . . . and back turned purposefully away from her.

Sighing again, the honey-locked woman looked down at the maroon and indigo carpeting under her feet. _I guess I really should know better. Good job, Sally. You knew Wu Fei was under a lot of pressure: four ex-Gundam pilots under his wing, two civilians . . . and what with his protective streak towards Relena, who knows if Relena decided to take William up on his offer. What was Une thinking?_ With a smirk, she decided that Une's plans would most likely remain a mystery. _After all, there's no possible way that she chose Castello de Cristo just because Relena might decide to go as well. Une, a matchmaker? Not likely._

Yes, the news of Relena's possible vacation didn't go amiss by the higher-ranked Preventer agents; how could it, when they were either friends or family to the Vice Foreign Minister.

The sound of a throat clearing shook her from her thoughts, and she raised her head to see her partner walking towards her as the others collected their things and their room cards and began to walk away, Quatre, Duo and Catherine tossing them waves as they went, the latter favoring Wu Fei with a considering look that Sally didn't miss.

She could feel his hard gaze upon her, and glanced back, suppressing a wince.

"I'll report in tomorrow at eight," he snapped coolly now that he had her attention. "If you're lucky, I'll have all of our paperwork done by the time you arrive."

The uniformed young man turned to head towards the outer doors, and she slumped for a moment. Taking a deep breath, the tawny-haired woman gave him a few seconds to march away from her, then lifted her head and jogged after him, catching the door before it closed behind him.

Though he couldn't have missed the sound of her boots on the pavement outside of the hotel, the young Asian man continued to walk without turning around. The cool evening air of Moscow ruffled her bangs as she hurried after him, suppressing a groan as the ebony-headed boy began to stalk faster, almost to a jog, in order to get away from her.

"Wu Fei!" Sally called out finally, and gave a frustrated moan in the back of her throat as he slowed down but tightened his hands into fists at his side.

She caught up to him and sighed deeply, gaze dropping to watch her own feet marching along the sidewalk. "I was wondering if you would walk me to my apartment."

"Why," he growled, icy black eyes flicking over to her and away, "has Jerry from accounting been following you again and you need someone to _protect _you?"

Rolling her eyes, Sally allowed him to move ahead of her again by just a pace or two and chuckled, "Well, it's true that he won't give up. I tried telling him I was a lesbian," she laughed as Wu Fei stumbled slightly at that, "but he doesn't seem to believe me."

"_What_?" Turning his head, the young man stared up at her, letting her return at his side as they began to walk again, this time at a more regular pace.

Giving him a lopsided smile, the young woman tossed a braid over her shoulder and shrugged. "It was worth a try, wasn't it?"

He shook his head and frowned, returning his eyes to the path before them and the lamp-lit city. "Your audacity is truly amazing sometimes, Preventer Po."

Groaning, Sally threw up her hands before her and rolled her eyes up to the heavens. "Dammit, Wu Fei-" she began, then halted as he drew up to their apartment building and took out his key-card.

"Is there a problem, Preventer Po?" he asked bitingly as he opened the door and stepped through, the older woman right on his heels.

"Yes," she murmured, eyes narrowing, "you still haven't told me if you're going to be walking me to my room yet."

Passing the elevators and heading for the stairwell, the dark-haired young man tossed an angry glance back at her and retorted, "If that's an order, then I will of course do as you command."

_Ouch._ Sally rubbed her head as she slowly followed him up the stairs, halting after a few steps to let out a long sigh. "Please, Wu Fei," she asked tiredly, raising her eyes to gaze up to him where he stood on the landing above.

Taking one heavy step, Wu Fei stopped without turning around, then cocked his head to glance back at her. "Alright," he replied quietly. "Sally."

((()))

Earth, Izumo  
April 13th – 12:03 am

"We should start a club," Relena slurred as she sipped her new, magenta-tinted frozen drink. Tossing back her hair, she gazed over at the girl to her left unsteadily.

Dorothy downed her third martini and slouched on the table. "What kind of club?" she asked, not drunk yet but curious.

Starting to spin lazily around in her bar stool, the saffron-garbed girl raised a finger. "A club for girls that want to date Gundam pilots, but can't get them to . . . to date them, or something."

Nodding, the platinum-haired teenager waved over the bartender. "Who would be president?"

"You and me." The Minister sipped at her pink drink again, stirring it with the blue umbrella in it.

Dorothy raised a double-brow. "That doesn't work, we're not Siamese twins."

With a frown, Relena reconsidered drunkenly. "Co-Presidents, then."

"That doesn't work either, the politics of it are awful." Smiling, Dorothy watched Relena fling her hands out to her sides and look up at the ceiling.

"Noin can be our treasurer . . ." the ex-queen announced, studying the cracks in the structure above her.

The other blonde shook her head. "But she married _her_ Gundam pilot."

"She did?"

"Yes, you dope," Dorothy grinned, "don't you remember? You were the Maid of Honor? I was a bridesmaid?"

"Oh, yeah," Relena downed the last of her drink, "and Quatre was the ring bearer and you chased him around and he almost lost the rings."

Flushing, Dorothy looked down at her empty martini glass. "I didn't chase him, I . . . followed him. Aggressively."

"_You_ should be club president," Relena pointed at her with a serious expression on her bleary face.

_Getting Relena drunk is really amusing, but the last thing I need is her needling me any more about Quatre._ "Too bad Heero didn't stay around for the reception, then you and the best man could have danced together," Dorothy switched topics quickly, wondering what her companion would say.

Giving her a cerulean glare, Relena slammed the glass down on the table angrily and cried, "Heero doesn't stick around for anything, that jerk. He wouldn't even give me my birthday present in person, he pretended to be a maintenance worker!" She paused, confused azure eyes blinking wearily, then she gave a lopsided smile. "But he did touch my shoulder."

Dorothy paused, considering this. "I wish Quatre would touch my shoulder," she finally returned, mouth down-turned as she swiveled around to lean back against the bar and gaze out upon the tables filled with customers.

"I thought he had?" the other teen asked, looking over at her.

"It doesn't count if he's trying to push me away," Dorothy shook her head, crystal eyes tightening.

They both sighed and sat in silence for a few moments, then Relena surprised her by asking, "Which one of us is more sad?"

The laughing crowds surrounding them within the sports bar seemed distant and indistinct as Dorothy looked out beyond them into the emptiness she encompassed.

"I don't know."

((()))

Earth, Moscow  
April 13th – 7:03 pm

Wu Fei glanced around Sally's dining-room from where he sat at the dinner-table as occasional clattering sounds disturbed the quiet of the night. Soft golden light suffused the apartment from various dim lamps and candles set around it, and the young Asian man once again noted with grudging approval the many Chinese decorations and mementos placed upon the tables and hung along the walls.

"Wu Fei," came her muffled voice from the kitchen, "if you want, you could turn on the stereo, I know I have some play-lists that you like."

Exhaling slowly, his mouth tightened and he stood up, eyes locking upon the many candles burning at the center of the round table. "Alright." _What is she trying to do? It's been a while since she was this nice to me. Does she suddenly have amnesia?_ _ Or does she want some favor out of me?_

Grasping the bottom hem of his uniform coat, he straightened it rigidly and stalked over to the stereo, flicking his fingers over the graphic interface and quickly selecting the section of traditional Chinese music that Sally kept on her stereo's hard-disk. With a frown, he pressed the button to turn off the screen, raven eyes flicking around the dimly-lit room once more.

Just as he turned to look back towards the small dining area, his partner appeared from the kitchen, two Chinese teacups and a teapot in her hands. She gave him a small smile, but something seemed to catch in her periwinkle eyes and the honey-haired woman looked away as she set the items down on the table. "You can sit back down again," she spoke quietly, almost timid as she placed one handle-less cup at the spot he had been sitting, then the other at the space kitty-corner to his.

Wu Fei gave a low hum in the back of his throat and started forward again, a disconcerting uneasiness rolling over him in a wave as he returned to the table, the golden candle-light dancing across his cold features. _Now I'm really suspicious. She's being so quiet and demure . . . who stole her away and replaced her with this mouse?_ Yet, for all of his humorous rejoinders, the discomfiting feeling creeping up his spine caused his eyes to flicker up to her, to where she stood next to him, with a glance of worry.

_I know she wouldn't really try to soften me up in order to ask for a favor. Something must truly be affecting her._

Then, suddenly, her pale eyes were looking down at him and she picked up the teapot. "I know you've had a hard couple of days, getting everyone together," she spoke, sultry voice low and gentle as she poured tea into his cup.

Wu Fei watched her at first, and the glistening of the candle-light upon the honeyed locks of hair, then his gaze fell to the shimmering umber tea as it filled the porcelain container. "Sally," he spoke finally as she finished pouring without spilling a drop, "I . . ." He growled something more like a sigh and bowed his head slightly to the tea. "Thank you for inviting me."

She smiled sweetly and poured her own tea, then sat down to his right. "I like you like this. You're not so caustic when I've surprised you into silence."

Arching a brow and giving her a flat stare, the young man picked up the cup carefully and sipped the tea, eyes returning to the candles. "I figured this act of yours couldn't last forever." He couldn't keep a tiny smile from tugging at his lips, though.

Sally laughed out loud, startling him a bit but loosening the tightness of his shoulders with the sound. "Oh, Wu Fei. You wouldn't believe how confused I was until I realized that these barbs of yours were supposed to be funny."

"They _were_ funny," he corrected her, sipping the tea carefully.

"Well, yes," she beamed at him, eyes not nearly as demure as her sitting posture, "but your humor is as dry as the Sahara. You're hard to read, you know."

What slight hint of joy that had touched his features slid away, and Wu Fei's gaze dropped back to the tea. "I know," he admitted, and within him he felt the jagged tear that this knowledge inflicted. _Everyone would like to think that they are valued for who they are, I suppose, _ he mused tiredly. _But the person that I am does not seem to be acceptable._

Without warning, he found Sally's hand on his arm, and he glanced up at her in surprise.

"You're worth the effort, though," she smiled, then pulled her hand away. For some reason, he felt sorry to see it go. Her deep, warm eyes still clung to him, however, so he appreciated what he could have. "Wu Fei, I'm really sorry I was so hard on you today."

Blinking, the young man shook his head, confused. "Sally?"

With a sigh, she rolled her eyes and chuckled a bit, drinking from her teacup slowly. "You may have acted rude, but I should have taken into account what a holy terror all of your friends have a tendency to be. After all, even normal 'elite' soldiers seem to have a problem with sanity . . . just look at Milliardo." She smirked at him charmingly, and he could only wearily shake his head and give her a muted smile in return. "However," she continued, sipping her tea, "you managed all of them without killing anyone, no small feat for any human being. Especially with Heero and Duo around; those two could do a lot of damage if they got too much sugar."

Stunned, Wu Fei blinked for a moment, then began to laugh out loud, setting down the teacup before he dropped it. "Sally, you're quite strange," he told her, smiling at the satisfied grin on her face.

"I made you laugh," she informed him as if he'd forgotten already, "that's got to be worth something."

Unable to contain the smile from widening across his face, Wu Fei bent his dark head and chuckled again. "It is."

He turned the teacup in his hand, studying the sinuous painted dragon slipping along its ivory curve as his voice grew contemplative.

"It is."


	5. Chapter 5

Hey, everyone!

it's time for reviews!

**Genkai Lady**: That's cool! Thanks for your review, I bet you'll like this chapter if you wanted a scene with Duo and Hilde. (CEP: Ironically, most of these cool scenes and funny ideas are really just me saying random things. With the Dorothy/Relena scene I just said, 'They should get drunk'. From there it spiraled out into something very cool.)

**Eishirou**: Not sure what you mean by it not being uncommon for Dorothy to be happy. We never had anything in the fanfic that say that she's not commonly happy. In fact, she's always rather hyper! To be quite honest, we never intended Wu Fei to have been funny the whole time, we're just saying that he would have a very dry sense of humor. After all, he did tell, I think, one joke during the series. (CEP: I actually prefer the English voices all the way around. Dorothy especially. There's this real sense of a hard edge that the Eng. actress brings out very well. We actually discuss events and histories, between us. A lot of your favorite scenes are improvised ones that end up working with the story. Ukky is the organization, I'm the chaos and the weird thing is, we don't cancel each other out, we end up having more of each.)

**Hououza**: Thanks so much! We're really happy to get your review and hope you like how the girls DO go about getting their "pilots". If they ever get them. (CEP: I think Relena and Dorothy are two often misunderstood characters. Some people think Relena's pointless and I have to wonder what show they're watching, because it's not GW. She was an effective Queen of The World, after all. And a lot of people only look at the surface of Dorothy and think she's just a warmonger, when really all she wants is for people to recogize that it's not enough to have power, but you have to be responsible with it too. That's why I like delving into their characters.)

**Garen Ruy Maxwell**: Well, if you like it, definitely tell us what you like beyond the non-yaoi! (CEP: Yeah, dammit! What other things do you like. Something interesting that ironically hasn't come up: It's not that we're against Yaoi, it's that we can't see any of the GW characters as homosexual. Quatre and Trowa are the only possible ones, but even then neither really seems like it. Besides Quatre being too girly to be homosexual, he never acts like he's more than friends with the other pilots. Trowa is tougher to figure out because he is so placid. It's almost like he's risen beyond attraction of any kind - male, female, chair . . . But he seems to have this overprotectiveness of Catherine and almost none at all for the men. Maybe it's because Catherine is weaker than the Gundam pilots, but I think it says something that he feels more protective of women, than men. Not to say that he and Catherine would be compatible, but just that he displays more heterosexual tendencies than any other tendencies.)

**Wing**: Hey, you still won't tell me what's your gender! Yeah, Trowa is the one who said it. (CEP: Dammit! Quit dodging the question! Man or woman?! CHOOSE! Well, we're trying to set-up going to the school by going into how the characters view each other now. And the last thing we want is for this fic to be like all the other fics with the pilots in High School. Unlike those, we actually have a reason for them to be in HS. Besides the overused, "'cause they're high school students, duh." We like the universe that GW is set in and we're sticking with it. I get the feeling that most of our readers enjoy that aspect. What's your gender, dammit?! Sally lives in Moscow. She's assigned to the Preventer's HQ, which, from what we can tell is in Moscow - the capitol of the Earth Sphere Unified Nation. Wu Fei has an apartment right nearby, for the same reason, in case you're curious. As to the string of zeroes, here's my response: (Evil Laughter) I think we top it in this chapter.)

**RedLion2**: Thanks, we really do love the characters and try our best to give them happiness, growth and truth to fit them. Relena and Wu Fei would be interesting, and we had considered it. After all, at this stage in the game, Relena is pretty frustrated with Heero, and Wu Fei is actually starting to find worth in other people who also happen to be female. (CEP: You've got a good eye. It is possible that Wu Fei could make a move on Relena, but I personally don't think they would be compatible. But neither would we make a relationship easy with Sally. She is too old for him, technically, especially since he's very young. That's also something I want to have fun with. It's pretty unrealistic for a person to only be attracted to the one great love of their life. Relena and Heero make sense because they're insane, obsessive and freakishly weird. But then again, Relena has had a chance to heal a little, so she might be able to break away from that behavior. The weird thing is, Heero's never said anything but compliments to Relena. The closest he ever got to insulting her was telling her that she needed a defensive force for the Sanc kingdom. Hell, on Libra he was telling her that she was amazing and that he was nothing compared to her. Which is why people who write fanfics where Heero hates Relena are stupid. I mean, think about it; he hates her so he puts her on a pedastal? Hello?!)

**Rika**: Yatta! Glad to see you finally reviewed. I see that all it takes is constant badgering and a knife in the back. I'll remove the knife now. I'd like to see Relena with a hangover too! And we all will . . . . BWAHAHAHA!! (CEP: Stabbity-death, yo. Glad you liked it, and we're glad you reviewed rather than told us by IM. This way you up our review count. The cheap conference room was another product of one of our, "what would be weird and still make sense" brainstorming session. Actually, I want a talking Gundam figure too. After I came up with the idea, I thought to myself, "Dammit! I want one now. Stupid Bandai.")

And now onto the story!! So there!

**Chapter 5**

Earth, Moscow  
April 13th – 7:15 pm

Catherine sighed as she dropped her suitcase onto the hotel bed. She glanced around the large room, unused to the sterile civility of her new quarters. _It's too quiet,_ the maroon-haired girl frowned, eyes searching the emptiness around her and finding nothing to comfort her.

Stretching, the acrobat yawned, arms rising back and toes curling. "Well, we're probably going to be here for a while," she told herself, "might as well unpack."

As she unzipped the suitcase and began to take her clothes from it, an unsettling feeling began to nag at the back of her mind, the hair rising slightly on her neck. The whole ordeal of traveling to Russia and sitting in on the meeting had left her exhausted, physically, mentally, and emotionally. Why was there so much concentration on paramilitary maneuvers?

Tossing back her curly umber hair, Catherine found her eyes drawn to the black shopping back she had set by the door. Pausing, she stared at it; slumped against the wall, it appeared so innocuous. _They can't expect me to actually use that knife,_ she mused worriedly, then slowly began walking towards it. _Sure,_ Catherine told herself as she knelt down before it, taking the bag as if it might evaporate, _I can fight someone if I have to. But using a knife . . . Especially one like this . . ._

The young woman took out the sheathed knife from the bag, tossing the plastic aside and staring at the ebony sheath._ Using this on someone, _her eyes tightened as she removed the leather cover and stared at the serrated edge glinting with light, _would be akin to mutilation._

With a sudden snarl, she sheathed the bowie, placing it on the nearby desk and leaning her hands onto the wood. Glaring at the wall inches from her face, she scowled through it, eyes on a distant place where she could not escape her rage.

_Trowa WILL be fighting again . . . why else go to all this trouble of buying equipment?! _ Her fingers pulled away from the hard surface to tighten into fists, and she straightened, spinning to glare at the closed door.

Face flushing, Catherine took a deep breath and cried, "That LIAR!"

Storming forward to the door, she flung it open, muttering, "If he thinks I'm that stupid, he's got another thing coming!"

((()))

"It's really great to see you again," Quatre smiled as he leaned against the wall next to the hotel room dresser.

Trowa gave him a miniscule smile as he carefully put away his clothes in the drawers, one after the other, in smooth succession. "It hasn't been that long," he pointed out, mouth growing more amused as he finished and closed the last drawer.

"Two months," shrugged the young blond, crossing his arms easily and watching his friend sit upon the edge of the bed, eyes falling upon the cobalt-blue dress-shirt he wore. "I see that Catherine's attempts to expand your wardrobe succeeded," he chuckled, laughter almost chiming.

The tall young man continued to smile from his spot on the bed, and shook his head. "There really wasn't any reason not to. If it makes her happy and really doesn't cause any damage, what's the harm? Anyhow, it got annoying only having three pairs of clothes and doing laundry all the time."

Quatre laughed again, then sighed in the comfortable silence, his thoughts returning to previous issues.

"So," Trowa placed his hands on his knees and gazed at the fair-headed boy seriously, "what's been bothering you?"

"Problems," the trillionaire exhaled heavily, teal eyes locking onto Trowa's. "Relena will be attending the same school as we are this semester. But she doesn't know that we're all going as well." He winced. "Except for Wu Fei and myself, actually. She asked me to go along and I guess Wu Fei has to, as she 'hired' him to be her bodyguard when away from home."

"So," Trowa slowly tossed his head back and forth, "she still refuses twenty-four hour protection?"

The other young pilot rolled his eyes and shrugged broadly. "Of course she does. If the bodyguard isn't Heero, she's not interested."

Frowning in amusement, the sienna-haired boy joked, "Isn't that a breach of professionalism?"

"I suppose one might see it as a preamble to marriage," Quatre grinned. "But, in reality, _that_ is the problem I'm worried about." The smile fell, and his saffron head dropped. "As soon as Relena and Heero see each other, things are going to get shot to hell."

Trowa nodded. "Precise in mood, if not in particulars."

Mouth quirking, Quatre looked at him flatly. "That's all you can say?"

With a spot of laughter, the acrobat grinned at him. "No, but I thought it might frustrate you."

The fair-haired boy chuckled and sighed, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Frustrating me out of amusement seems to be an ongoing theme, lately."

"You're right, though," Trowa told him, rising to slowly pace around the room, a thoughtful expression giving an extra glint to his auburn eyes. "It could either go very well or very poorly . . . most likely the latter than the former." He turned and gave Quatre a stern gaze. "What do you think we can do to make things go more smoothly?"

"Well I-"

Suddenly, a voice called from outside the door, _"TROWA!"_

"Uh-oh," the young blond winced as Trowa opened the door to display an enraged Catherine.

Periwinkle eyes blazing, the teenage girl demanded, "Where is that _jerk_?!" as she rolled up the sleeves of her blue blouse.

The tall pilot gazed down at her serenely. "Which one?" he simply asked.

"WU FEI!" she yelled, fists clenched as she shot him an annoyed glare. "Who else?!"

"Well," Quatre nodded uncertainly, brows furrowed, "there _are_ only so many jerks around."

Raising an eyebrow at the both of them, the male acrobat shrugged and sighed. "I think he left with Sally. Probably to turn in for the night." His gaze studied her as she frowned and glared up at him.

"Okay," Catherine snapped, squaring her shoulders as her curly maroon hair bounced. "Then I'll remind you again: No matter what weapons you guys bought today," she raised a finger to shake at him, "you're _not_ going to fight anymore. _RIGHT_?!"

The young blond next to them stared and didn't speak, watching as the two stood their silently.

Bowing his head, Trowa gazed into her eyes. "Catherine . . ." His stare hardened sorrowfully, and to her surprise he informed her, "Sometimes, the only recourse is to do battle. However, if I can at all prevent a fight, I will."

Her finger slowly drew away, hands curling into fists again as she bared her teeth, tears glittering violet-blue in her eyes. "Fine. Just . . . just be that way!" Spinning, she darted from the room, steps clattering as she ran down the hall. "You're such a _man_!" she cried behind herself as she fled.

Exhaling slowly, the brown-locked young man's chin fell and he tossed a wry glance to his companion.

Quatre just shook his head, closing the door behind Catherine and leaning up against it. "Just going to let her run off?"

With a shrug, Trowa replied, "It's better to let her blow off some steam right now. She's never really understood me fighting; I think she believes that she should fight all my battles for me."

Smiling, the saffron-haired pilot murmured, "Now I see why the circus remained so attractive to you. It's nice having someone to care that much about you. Even if the methods aren't the most thought-out."

"She's still young," Trowa told him, and Quatre raised a brow.

"I thought she was older than you," the trillionaire teased slightly, smiling.

Returning the smile, Trowa shook his head, long bangs brushing his shoulder. "She is, physically. And, _physically_, we're still young, too."

A frown touched the shorter boy's features, and he folded his arms and rested further against the door. "Yeah." His blue gaze faltered into sadness. "Sometimes it's hard to remember that."

((()))

Earth, Izumo  
April 14th – 1:10 am

Dorothy beamed as the bartender set down another drink for her, and grabbed it with a hand, giving the Hispanic woman a thumbs-up and a drowsy wink. "Thanks, sister."

Arching an eyebrow the bartender told her, "I should call you girls a cab."

"Nah," the tall blonde waved a hand at her, tossing back the martini, "I'm fine . . ."

"Okay, cab-time," returned the curly-haired brunette, giving her a wry grin and a shake of her head. "Give me your keys, you can get them back when the taxi arrives."

Giving her an ice-blue glare, the teenager murmured, "You can have my keys . . . when you pry them from my cold, dead . . ." She hiccupped and looked over at the shorter blonde next to her. "What was I saying?"

Relena gazed blearily at the wall lined with liquors and sparkling glasses, one fist holding up her chin. "Heero looks better in school uniforms than he does in those stupid shorts. I always wanted to buy him . . . some new clothes . . . but he never stayed around long enough for me to . . . buy him any." One finger from her free hand began to play absently with a snag in her yellow sweater, tugging on it and pulling the yarn further out.

Nodding, the young Catalonia set down her empty glass on the edge of the bar, the bartender just fast enough to swipe it up before it fell. "Quatre sure looked cute in those silly little outfits of his. Like a little doll. I wonder why he never had a suit-coat? It was like he . . . he wore three piece suits without the coats, ya' know?"

"Keys," the Latino woman raised a brow and held out her hand, smirking a bit as Dorothy handed them over without even looking at her.

"Keys, shmeys," waved the platinum-haired girl. "He sure is sexy . . . in a kind of little boy way, ya' know? I never really thought he was that cute until he fought me . . . There's just somethin' so adorable about such an innocent lookin' cutie-pie with a weapon . . ."

"I tried to get him to visit you," Relena sighed, deep azure eyes saddened, "but he keeps saying he's too busy and you're too scary . . ."

"Hey!" Dorothy retorted drunkenly, "that's not my fault, you know."

"It's not?" The Minister raised a bleary eyebrow to her and turned half-way to stare at her. "So, who's fault is it?"

"That," the taller teen hiccupped, "is a secret."

Just then a nearby man wobbly sauntered over, his grin more of a grimace below his balding head. "Hey, honey," he smirked at Dorothy, who never turned from facing the bar to look at him, "how 'bout you and me take a ride and - UGGH!"

The man slumped slightly as the tall girl pulled back her fist from his stomach and majestically rose, a cruel grin crossing her mouth. "I've been wanting to do that for some time!" she cried.

"You little-!" Roaring, the drunkard straightened and swiped at her face with an open hand, but Dorothy ducked back by lying against the stool, then grabbed a nearby empty bottle and smashed it over his head, her cackles filling the air and drawing the attention of all the patrons.

"Hey!" another man hollered, "what the hell was that for, you freakin' maniac!"

Relena rose her head to see four men closing on them, the bartender waving her hands at everyone and people cheering from all around. "Dorothy?" she blinked groggily, turning to look at the men.

The insane cackling filled her ears as she stared at the vision of the taller girl standing before her, long silvery hair tossed around her and her teeth bared in a feral pose. "Come on," she taunted, holding the broken bottle in one hand and brandishing it high into the air, "you little boys think you can take me?!"

Lurching at her, the men attacked, and to Relena's drunken dismay, Dorothy managed to kick and fight them off of her for many seconds, as their cries of pain and rage filled the air, overcome occasionally by that maniacal laughter.

"DOROTHY!" the saffron-locked Minster winced, pulling her hands to the front of her golden sweater and edging away from the struggle occurring a mere few inches from where she sat. "Eep!" Relena cringed and ducked a flailing elbow, then wailed as her barstool was suddenly swept out from under her as one man grabbed it to crash it down upon her companion's head.

Finding herself on the dirty floor and gazing up at chaos before her, the young woman gaped, then frowned, seeing Dorothy cut and fending off the attackers with two broken pieces of barstool and bared teeth. "Hey, you leave her alone!" Relena growled, jumping uncertainly to her feet, fists clenched at her sides. Spinning, she swiped up another barstool and in one smooth motion, whipped it high into the air, shouting "FORE!" as it clubbed one man under the chin – flinging him into the air as he groaned in pain.

Roaring, Relena took her weapon and plunged into the fray, whacking randomly and lucky enough that she kept missing her friend in her wild abandon. The two girls fought like animals, Relena flinging her stool and Dorothy upper-cutting and swinging herself around to thrust her elbow up into another man's nose. His screams filled the air as he fell away, blood pouring from his face, and as the tall girl raised her head to scan her surroundings above the scrape, she blinked in surprise to see the entire bar entangled in battle.

"Rrrrrrrr, get away from ME!" Relena screamed, kicking a man hard in the gut and tossing him to the ground. She turned to Dorothy to find the two of them free of attackers for the moment, and their blue eyes met in shock.

"We gotta get out of here!" the platinum-locked girl exclaimed, spinning to whip out her wallet and flinging some bills onto the counter. "Here's the payment for the damage, can I have my keys?"

"NO!" the bartender yelled from under the bar, then peeked out to glare at them. "You girls are definitely TOO drunk!"

Just then a honking noise cut across the rolling cries of the combatants in the bar, and Relena looked towards the exit. "The taxi's here, I think," she blinked uncertainly, then looked down at the broken bar stool in her hand. "Wow, did I break that?"

"No, that guy's skull broke it," Dorothy told her tiredly. "Okay, now I can have my keys, right?"

Before the bartender could answer, a thug climbed up from the floor and groped for the tall girl, and with a tired sigh she raised a fist and back-punched him without even turning to face him.

With an "Urgh . . ." the man slumped to the ground once more.

"Right, keys," the worried Hispanic woman frowned and tossed them over. "You girls are nuts, you know that?"

"Thanks!" exclaimed Dorothy, catching the keys and giving her an ice-blue wink. "C'mon, baby," she grabbed Relena's arm and they raced for the door, "let's blow this joint!"

Behind them, the bartender grabbed the money left on the table, her sienna eyes widening as she realized the number of hundred-dollar bills she held. "Holy . . ." The brunette began to laugh as she sunk down below the bar, calling out to the girls, "Thanks, ladies, _itte rasshai_!"

Relena turned to yell back and wave, "_Itte mairimasu_!"

((()))

Earth, Moscow  
April 13th – 8:23 pm

Hilde ducked back out of the way of the creature's swing, gasping as she rolled away only to see the muscular arm slam down against the fertile earth she had just been standing upon.

In the misty darkness of the haunting forest surrounding them, the tall, wide monstrosity's eyes seemed to glow a dull bloody red as it bellowed in rage, making the girl jump back slightly. "This is-" she gasped, heart beating fast as she found herself backed into a thick tree-trunk, "-a bit much!"

Across from her on the other side of the monster, Duo threw his ebony cloak back from his arms and tossed back his head with a cackling laugh. "C'mon, buddy," he smirked at the filthy figure as it turned to growl at him and swing another arm. "Don't worry," he yelled over to Hilde as an aside, "this is nothing, Babe!"

She watched with concern as he ducked easily out of the way of the creature's attack, its sluggish lumbering expected from a creature a good two heads taller than him. Pulling back his hand, bright mandarin fire flared to light within Duo's palm as he brandished a long-sword he'd swiped from one of the fallen humans around them.

With a smirk, the young man's violet eyes narrowed and he dropped into a forward roll to avoid the massive club smashing down towards him, then leapt to his feet behind the beast, hand flung outward and blazing fire roaring into the ugly animal's torso.

Looking down at her own sword, Hilde frowned, then looked up at the back of the screaming monster. Shaking her indigo head, she raised the weapon and rushed forward towards the creature, eyes widening as the implications of what she was doing began to set in.

With a loud cry of rage and more than a little fear, she swung the sword directly at the exposed side of the abomination, wincing in disgust as the blade sliced deeply into the flesh, splattering black ichor over the metal and onto her shirt. "Ew, this is really gross!"

The enraged roar of the beast filled her ears as it spun, thick arm thwacking her firmly in the side of her head and dropping her to the ground.

"_Hilde_!" called Duo's voice from across the overgrown road, and she opened her eyes to see him lunge forward towards the inhuman being as it slashed its club at his head. Right as it would have struck, the young man dropped low and swiftly spun in place on the balls of his feet, long copper braid flying and sword singing through the air just before he whipped the thick blade up, momentum sinking it deeply into the chest cavity of the monster and ripping apart the ribcage in a splatter of gore.

Covering her eyes, Hilde lay upon the dirt and listened to the heavy sound of the creature dropping to the ground, the earth shaking slightly around her. _Okay, it's dead. Wow. It's dead. And so is Duo. _

"Hey, uh, Hilde-babe, are you okay?"

She looked up to see Duo standing above, reaching out a leather-gloved hand to her as he knelt down, purple eyes filling with concern and a few loose strands of sienna hair falling around his face.

"Yeah, I'm fine . . . besides being scared _out_ of my _mind_!" she retorted, glaring at his instantly happy expression.

Allowing herself to be pulled up, Hilde stood and shoved her hands onto her hips eyes narrowing at him as he looked at the sword he'd used. "What the hell is _wrong_ with you, Duo?! _Besides_ the obvious!"

"Huh?" Confused, the boyish young pilot knelt down and cleaned his blade upon some overgrown grass, his features difficult to see through the mist as he bent over the weapon. "C'mon, that was fun," his gentle voice rose over the fog as she glared at his back. "You didn't get hurt, did'ja? I told you not to put your personal damage settings so high."

Rolling her eyes, the girl crossed her arms tightly and glowered. "So? This game is way too realistic. I can't believe you like this!"

"What?!" Straightening and sheathing the blade, he looked down at her in shock. "There's monsters and swords and magic . . . what's not to love? You just need to get a little used to it."

"Which is ANOTHER thing," Hilde pointed out, "you're cheating." The dark-haired girl looked down at herself and first noticed the dirt now covering her clothes. "Great, now I'm all dirty," she growled, dusting off the tight leather-worked pants and finding herself even more annoyed that they were so comfortable. "You're a sorcerer, what the hell are you doing swinging a sword around?!"

With a shrug, Duo replied, "it's not cheating." He raised a copper eyebrow at her and smirked, "You can multi-class."

"But you DIDN'T!" she raised her head and glowered at him. "You're a straight sorcerer!"

Giving her a thumbs-up, he grinned, "Don't you know it, baby."

"Oh yeah?!" she cried, indigo eyes blazing as she slowly began to step forward towards him, "Give me that sword! I'm gonna shove it so far up your ass you'll be _choking_ on it!"

"Wh-what'd I do?!" he cried, backpedaling away from her quickly.

"You KNOW what you did!" Hilde yelled at him, chasing him over to the tethered horses. "Where'd you learn to use a sword like that, _any_way?! That was _totally_ not in-character!"

Dashing around the horses - who looked up in surprise – the braided teenager called back, "I improvised, okay? What's the big deal?"

"Yeah, right!" the short-haired girl sprinted after the pilot, circling back to try to catch him only to have him duck _under_ a surprised ebony horse. "I've never even seen anyone use a sword like that, you twink!"

"You know," Duo laughed as he stopped to throw an arm over his black stallion's neck, "you look _really_ good in that _tight_ leather bodice."

"ARGH!" _That pervert, he's sure lucky he didn't say that when someone else was around!_ Flushing, the brunette stamped her foot and leaned back against her Appaloosa, only to find herself glaring down at the rather revealing crisscrossing leather straps holding her bodice together. "It's not as if they had a lot of selection, you jackass."

"Well, you know me!" he beamed, then turned and sauntered back towards the pile of bodies. Looking down at them, Duo put his black-gloved fists onto his hips and spoke aloud, "D.M. Loot."

A loud bass voice said into the air, _"You have found: nine gold, thirteen silver, four copper, two long-swords, three unidentified rings."_

Nodding, Duo commanded, "D.M., add all to inventory."

"_Added." _

Mounting her dappled horse, Hilde sat and glared down at Duo in annoyance. "Are you done yet? Next time we play Time Crisis 9, okay?"

With a raised eyebrow, Duo looked back at her and headed over towards his own horse, shaking his head. "I'm tired of guns. I'm already an elite commando. This is something different."

Hilde rolled her dark blue eyes and looked up at the overcast afternoon sky. "Okay, whatever." Sighing, she conceded, "I _guess_ it makes sense."

"You mean," Duo asked her as he got onto his horse as well, "that there's nothing about this game you like at all?" Amethyst eyes twinkling, he looked at her steadily, as if daring her to agree.

She growled low in her throat and kicked the flanks of her mount, ignoring him as the animal began walking away from the carnage. "Well, the battles suck."

"They don't suck, it was just your first time!" he told her, following on his sable horse. "It _always_ hurts the first time," he beamed.

With an enraged growl in the back of her throat she retorted, "I'd hit you if I could do it without falling off this horse."

"Aw, but why?" he whined, adjusting the leather gloves on his hands. "You _know_ you like it."

Rolling her eyes, Hilde griped, "Because you've been bouncing around like an un-medicated six-year-old ever since Wu Fei and Quat came to pick us up. Do you know how long that's been? Two and a half days!"

"Two and a quarter!" he defended jauntily. "And I'm not bargaining on this!"

"Grr, fine, two and a quarter, you weirdo." Turning to look back at him, she continued, "Two and a quarter days of you acting like you've got a pixie-stick I.V. drip! It didn't bother me as much at first, but now I'm starting to crack. Okay?"

Wincing, Duo gave her hurt purple puppy-dog eyes, shoulders sinking. "I'm sorry. I just haven't seen all my friends all together in _so long_."

"How is that '_so long'_?!" she snapped, navy eyes bitter, "it hasn't even been three months, or did you forget Millie and Lu's wedding?!"

"Of course I didn't!" he glared at her, pulling the stallion up to her own horse as they trotted. "But that hardly counts! I was completely ignored!"

With a sigh, Hilde snorted, "That's ridiculous, how could anyone ignore you when you were practically bouncing off the walls! It's a good thing it was a happy occasion or someone might have actually gotten mad at you."

Duo glanced away from her, and she just barely caught his words, "Didn't stop Heero."

Hilde winced and ducked her head. "Oh, Duo." Exhaling slowly, she looked away, eyes pained. "I'm sorry."

He nodded but didn't answer her. Instead he spoke to the game again. "D.M., travel."

The scene around them shifted to show a parting of the trees into a dirt-covered street. Along their left, a three-story inn stood, windows glowing with warm lamp-light from within. Above, the sky was filled with stars, the sun just set and leaving a slight glow across the foliage-lined horizon. Obviously, many hours in-game were taken up by traveling.

From atop her steed, Hilde glanced over at the horses tethered to the posts along the front of the inn, then to their right, where other smaller buildings stood, some with signs that swung lightly in the breeze showing a weapons shop and a general store. "Wow, it's so realistic," she commented softly, giving a worried glance to her mounted companion.

"Yeah. Wanna keep playing?" Duo asked, less cheery but blatantly trying to keep up his veneer.

"Sure." Nodding, she dismounted and led her Appaloosa over to a free post, glancing back to make certain the pilot was behind her. "Let's get rooms, then."

Duo dismounted as well and tethered his horse to a post, then followed her in, his long black cloak trailing behind him. Turning to watch him, Hilde smiled a bit and shook her head at his long tunic and trousers, both a deep sable that matched his boots. _He's such a drama queen sometimes. _

"D.M.," the braided teenager held out a black-gloved palm and smirked as they entered the inn, "Make me cool." Suddenly, a pair of black sunglasses appeared in his hand, and he chuckled and put them on.

"Hey!" Hilde frowned, looking over her shoulder, "what did you just . . . Duo!"

Shrugging with a grin, he adjusted the thick cloak over his shoulders with his gloved fingers as if fixing the collar of a trench-coat and retorted, "What? You don't like it? It's a cheat-code I found online."

"That's hardly medieval," she grumbled, feeling guilty about needling him further when he had just admitted something so personal about his feelings for Heero. _Now what do I do? Maybe we can talk in one of our inn rooms._

She let Duo handle getting them rooms, rolling her eyes at the look of confusion over the A.I. innkeeper's face that seemed to have little to do with his sunglasses.

"What did you say to him?" she asked Duo as they headed up the stairs, neither hungry in character or out – not that it would matter in any case, since the food was all pretend.

A smile broke out over his features and he replied, "I told him I wanted the 'sexy' room."

Hilde burst out laughing despite herself and continued to chuckle as they walked up the stairs. "You're crazy, you know that?"

"Yeah, I know," the sunglass-wearing teen called behind him.

Frowning slightly, the brunette looked down at her booted feet taking the steps one at a time, then spoke quietly. "Hey, Duo?"

"Yeah?" he stopped at the top of the stairs and turned to look at her.

With a smile, Hilde halted at the top step and touched his leather-mantled arm. "Why don't we go talk in your room, okay?"

"Huh? Oh, um," looking a bit incongruous when such nervousness was juxtaposed with the dangerous façade that his black clothing created, Duo nodded and winced. "Sure."

Following him to the room he'd purchased for himself, Hilde blinked in slight surprise when Duo slumped upon the bed, appearing quite adorable with his sour expression and the sunglasses falling down his nose a bit to reveal downcast purple eyes. "Alright," the surprised young man sighed sorrowfully, "I know I deserve it - go ahead and smack me."

With a chortle escaping her, Hilde tossed her head back and forth, a grin breaking out upon her face as she sat down to his left. "You dummy, I'm not mad at you!"

"Huh?" he blinked at her in confusion, long lashes framing the sad amethyst eyes gazing into her own from above the sunglasses. "But you were mad five minutes ago . . ."

"Take off those stupid things," Hilde said, swiping the dark glasses herself and tossing them onto the bed. She turned to peer up at him in concern, placing her hand over his on the bedspread. "Duo, I . . . I wanted to apologize for making Heero angry at you with the Wing Zero doll. I didn't really think he was as bad as you said he was, so I guess I didn't think. I should have expected a strong reaction, considering how quiet and cold he was at the wedding."

Shaking his tawny head and waving his right hand nonchalantly at her, the braided young man muttered, "Nah, it's nothing big." But he turned his other hand slightly on the bed so as to take hers, and smiled at their clasped hands, his gloved and hers bare.

"Liar," she grinned, staring up into his tired violet eyes. "Don't give me that." Ducking her head shamefully, the indigo-locked teen continued, "I wanted to get you annoyed, and pull a prank on you by showing it to him, but I really never believed he was _quite_ as anti-social as you made him out to be."

"Well," Duo frowned in confusion as he blinked in thought, "I'd like to say he's gotten better, but to be quite honest, he's kinda just fluctuated back and forth from really antisocial to sociopathic, and then back to antisocial again."

"Wow." Dark blue eyes sad, Hilde gazed up at him with a concerned expression. "The poor thing. He must really be hurting inside. Why didn't you ever have us go and visit him? You know I wouldn't have minded!" she earnestly told him, taking his hand with the two of hers and pulling it up to hold firmly.

"Um . . ." holding the back of his neck with his free hand, Duo winced. "Well, if Heero doesn't want to be found, there's not much you can do about it."

"Did you even try?" she gave him a knowing look, mouth quirking.

Looking up at the ceiling of the candle-lit inn-room, Duo opened his mouth, unable to answer at first. "Well, um, that's kind of a funny story, actually . . ." His head dropping, he glanced to the side and quipped, "No."

"Well, how do you know if you don't try?" she exclaimed in annoyance. "I know all guys are supposed to be macho and never show affection for one another, but I _know_ that you care."

Laughing with slight nervousness, Duo shook his auburn head. "Heero wouldn't _want_ me to find him," he told her, ducking his head, "he wouldn't want me around. That's all there is to it." He glanced up at her and tried to smile, but the sight of his hurt purple eyes gazing at her so dejectedly sent a painful tear through her.

"Oh, Duo," the short-haired girl murmured, pulling him into a hug. "I think you're wrong. He smiled at us when that guy Bill at the Army store teased us. He wouldn't have smiled if he hated you. And he _didn't_ kill you. I doubt he was really going to. I'm sure he's just not certain of how to have a friend. Let alone a friend who's so different than himself and wants to help so much."

"Hey, I – I didn't try to help _that_ much," Duo argued uncertainly, his arms slowly tightening around her the longer she held him. "He wouldn't really notice, anyway," he spoke more softly, voice roughening with dejection.

The indigo-haired girl rested her cheek against his and looked deeply into his eyes. "I'm sure he noticed. That's probably why he seems so uncomfortable around everyone – they've all probably tried to be his friend before, right?"

"Well, yeah, him and Wu Fei were sort of friends, but then they tried to kill each other," the one-time God of Death joked, voice cracking and one leather-gloved hand rising to wipe at his face. "Wow, allergies. This video game really has a lot of realism, huh?" He tried to look away from her without moving his cheek from her own, but she could easily see the tears filling his eyes.

Hilde pulled back until their noses touched, and gazed deeply into his watering violet eyes. "Oh, Duo, it's okay. Everything will be alright, you'll see."

"I'm . . . fine," he sniffed, grip instantly tightening almost desperately around her. "No problems here." He began to shake as Hilde pulled him closer and ran her hand over his head, gently guiding him to rest his head upon her shoulder.

"Duo, sweetie, it's okay," she told him, rocking him gently from where they sat upon the bed, "just let it all out. Everyone needs to cry sometimes. It's good for you."

He merely nodded, clutching to her and beginning to weep.

With a soft exhale, Hilde tugged on his arm slightly and told him, "Why don't we lie down and then I can hold you better, huh?"

"Okay," he sobbed, tears running down his face.

They fell back onto the bed and Hilde pulled him closer to her, running her hand and fingers over his sienna head and rubbing his shoulder comfortingly as he cried.

"Poor Duo," the dark-haired girl whispered, wiping away his tears from his face and kissing his forehead. "I'm so sorry I showed Heero that doll; it wasn't my place to do it, I had no right. And this whole trip I've been so mean to you."

Squeezing him tightly, the short-haired teenager buried her head into his shoulder and began running her hand down his braid, feeling herself tearing up as her guilt began to eat away at her. "I'm so sorry, Duo," she mumbled, voice thickening as she listened to him sob.


	6. Chapter 6

Hey, everyone

**Rikku Urashima**: Thanks so much! Glad you liked it and READ it! LOL. Yeah, Dorothy is scary. Catherine is too, but she gets better. Duo and Hilde get better too, actually . . .

**Hououza**: Please, ramble! We love rambling! Glad that a guy is reading our fic, we need more variety in readership. And you're smart! :-) (CEP: Dammit, don't spoil it for the others! Goddamn psychics!) Ahem, anyhow, yes, we thought that Relena would have some pent-up aggression. Hope you like this chapter, and please leave us another rambling review! Also, we are so ever grateful that you agree with our view of Duo . . . since it seems some people do not.

**Kamineko**: You're welcome . . .but you didn't leave a review saying what you liked! (cries) Hopefully you'll review again and tell us what you liked. (CEP: got feedback?)

**Anouk**: Not sure what to tell you, dear. You don't seem to have watched the same one we did at all, lol. The show we watched, Duo never ever tried to hurt Heero and always was nice to him. First he rescued him after Heero nearly destroyed the Deathscythe - even if it was inadvertently - then he offers to help fix up Heero's Gundam, then after Heero steals parts, he isn't even angry enough to attack him. Duo's pretty damned forgiving. Then later Duo went with Heero to the schools, and tried to get him to interact with girls. That's so mean of him! He must really not care about Heero at all, what with working hard to get Heero to interact and socialize like a normal, sane person.

And let's face it, Duo had a crush on Hilde right from the beginning. The first week they were together he was getting jealous over Trowa! And Hilde does NOT act like a groupie; that doesn't even make any sense. Who would be a groupie for a terrorist? Stupid people, that's who. (CEP: Hilde acts like Duo's friend. You can tell this beacuse she's acting friendly ie: trying to find him a job; offering to help but NOT to make him dinner; and helping him by getting info from Libra. Speaking of which, how many groupies do you know of who have the guts to pull of something like that? Groupies tend to be spineless cowards . . . which is also NOT Relena. Which series were you watching? Have you seen Endless Waltz?

Another thing, Duo hasn't dropped his "I don't care" act except in front of people he cares about. This is called "friendship" Wherein two or more people "open up" to each other.) Anyway, back to the female of this . . . duo. ahem. Seriously, though, as a last comment, I don't see how character growth is "softening" the characters. Even in the series, they soften. Heero is the most obvious example. In the end of the series, he is tottally different towards Relena, he actually tells her to believe in him and that fighting to save everyone is all that he can do for her. That doesn't sound like the cold-hearted psychopath that he was in the first episode. (CEP: And Heero's not the only one. Trowa is a lot more angry in the beginning, Quatre is more secure in the beginning, Duo is more goofy and sarcastic and Wu Fei s a hell of a lot more misogynistic. Towards the end, Trowa is calm and peaceful, Quatre is stressed out and doubtful of himself, Duo is more cynical and serious, telling less jokes, and Wu Fei doesn't call women . . . "women." Or "weak" for that matter.) Darn, looks like those stupid creators went and ruined the characters. Why do the creators tend to do that so often? (shakes head)

**Wing**: Duo is nutty, and also has some problems . .. ones that will come out in the chapter after this one, lol. Thanks, everyone seemed to like the drunk scene! It was CEP's idea. You are totally correct, a lot of shit will hit the fan when Relena and Heero meet up. (CEP: icky, smelly excrement, and lots of it!) Okay, I wish I hadn't used that metaphor . . . Anyhow, we think you're a woman. Sorry about that. Though if you were a guy that would be interesting. (CEP: I firmly believe that only a woman could be so vindictive to not share her gender after several requests.) Don't mind him, he has issues. (CEP: VINDICTIVE!) Shuttup, you.

**Merit Somnia:** Glad to see you! Thanks so much, and please leave further reviews if you get a chance! This upcoming chapter is less action oriented, and is definitly less silly, but more action is to come!

**stardust113**: Thanks! Hope you like the other chapters too!

**WARNING**: Evil character development ahead . . . read at your own risk . . . If you hate reading characters that grow and change like actual people, please go and read a different fanfic where the characters act like cardboard cutouts.

CEP: This is not a directed statement. Really. I swear.

* * *

**Chapter 6**

Earth, Moscow  
April 13th – 8:57 pm

Duo sighed and shook his head as Hilde began to cry into his shoulder, his own tears drying. "No, no, it ain't your fault, baby," he whispered. "I was bein' a pain." _Man, I'm such a jerk. I can't believe I made her cry._ He began pulling the gloves from his hands, tossing them over the bed and taking her up into his arms again. "Hey, don't cry for me, Hilde-babe, I'm not worth it."

The weeping girl pulled away just enough to lean over him, tears rolling down her cheeks. Finding himself suddenly glowered at, Duo stared up at her in shock.

"Dammit, Duo," Hilde sobbed, rubbing at her eyes, "you know I hate it when you say that! You're worth everything to me." The young brunet blinked as she flung her torso over his and wrapped her arms around him. Burying her face into the pillow below his head, her words whispered into his ear, "You think you could be my best friend and not be worth crying for? That's just dumb, Duo. And I know you're not really as stupid as you act."

"I don't act stupid _all_ the time, you know," he informed her, smiling as he ran his fingers through her short hair. _She sure does smell nice . . ._

Sniffling, Hilde stopped crying and pulled back to gaze down at him, her luminous indigo eyes watery but happier. "I guess you don't look so big and bad now, holding a crying girl, huh, Mister 'Black Leather'?"

"Hey," Duo smiled up at her and let his arms fall to wrap around her waist, "if I had a choice between you and bein' 'big an' bad', I'd choose you _every _time. After all you're my bestest bud, right?"

To his surprise, tears sprung up within her indigo eyes and she dropped down to hug him tightly. "Oh, Duo . . ."

"Hey, what – wait! Uh, um, whatever it is I said, I take it back!" He winced and held her tightly to him. "Don't cry!" _And this is exactly why you two should just stay friends, moron._

Pulling herself up a bit to mock-glare at him, Hilde sniffled, "So you take back saying that you'd pick me over being big and bad?"

"Well, y'know," the auburn-haired teen peered up guiltily from the bed, "if it makes you cry . . ."

"It makes me cry because it's so sweet, you dummy." She beamed to soften the words and raised a hand to brush the messy bangs from his eyes.

Duo gazed up at her in concern, confused violet eyes narrowing. "But . . . you're crying."

"There's good crying and then there's bad crying," chuckled the girl as she dropped heavily back onto him and squeezed tightly. "This is good crying," she murmured into his ear contentedly, sending a shiver down his spine. _I'd tell Hilde that her lying on top of me was a great incentive for me opening up and sharing my feelings, but then I'd get slapped. And she'd probably stop._

Reciprocating the laugh a bit shakily, the one-time God of Death ran his fingers through her hair, gently cupping the back of her head to his shoulder. "Like I'm supposed to be able to tell the difference. Do I look like the sensitive type to you?" When she started to giggle into his neck, he flushed and quickly amended, "Wait, don't answer that." _I hope these game pressure-suits are too thick for her to notice how tight my pants are getting._

―

"Oh, sure," Hilde chuckled, a part of her relishing the feeling of him under her, "you're definitely not the sensitive type. It's not as if I've just held you while you bawled like a baby. Nope, definitely didn't do _that_!" With a giggle, she rolled over to lie next to him and gaze into his eyes. _I wonder how he got purple eyes, anyhow. I've never seen anyone with that color before._

"I did _not_ bawl like a baby," the dark-cloaked teenager grumbled, assenting to the change of position. "I _cried_ like a _man_. A big, _strong_ man, _okay_?"

"Okay," she chortled, reaching around to tug on his braid and answer mockingly, "you _cried_ like a big, strong man, then, alright?"

Duo nodded. "Yeah, that's better- Hey, wait!" He gave her a faux-frown and raised an over-dramatic eyebrow. "You tricked me, you minx!" he announced, rising to lean over her and begin tickling her sides vengefully.

"Hey!" she squirmed and began to giggle as his fingers poked into her ribs, "no fair! And I'm not a minx, you disheveled ruffian!" she declared imperiously before twisting in his arms and erupting into fits of laughter. "Stop! _Stop_!"

"Okay, okay," Duo pulled his hands away and instead placed them on the bed to either side of her, bending over her with a smirk crossing his face.

_Wow, he sure looks dark and evil with that smile and those black clothes, _Hilde thought to herself with a blush, unable to break away from the sultry look in his amethyst eyes. _Better not let him know how sexy he is or he might get a bloated ego._ "He-hey," she told him nervously, "we should get back on subject."

Duo's eyes half-closed as he smiled at her and began to lie back down on the bed by lowering himself _onto_ her, one knee resting between her legs and his upper arm splaying out across her chest. "Mm-kay," the young man murmured, mesmerizing gaze catching hers.

_Uh-oh,_ the brunette gaped slightly, trapped by his aroused violet eyes, _I don't think that's a flashlight pressing up against my leg . . ._

Just as his attention fell to her parted lips and Hilde felt certain he was bending down to kiss her, a loud knocking sounded on the door, and Duo jumped up and spun to face the noise. "What the-" Laughing nervously, he tugged on his braid and went to answer the door by instinct. "Who is it?" he asked, tossing an embarrassed glance back to where Hilde still lay on the bed.

From the other side of the door came a timid male voice. "_Letter for you, sir._"

"Letter?" Duo frowned and went up to the door. "What the hell? Who's it from?"

There was a rustling of paper and then the man behind the door replied, "Um, it doesn't say."

"Okay, just slide it under the door," he frowned suspiciously, then grinned over at Hilde, "Gotta protect your modesty, baby!"

Hilde rolled her eyes and took one of the pillows, covering her head with it. _That moron. Thank God the gaming computer made a distraction. The last thing I need is another complication in my life._

She heard the sounds of Duo picking the letter up from the floor and then his heavy footsteps growing near upon the wooden planks. "Hey, Hilde, wanna read the letter with me? It'll help you feel more involved."

With a smile, the dark-locked girl pulled the pillow from her face and rose. "Okay, if you really want me to." She swung her legs out and watched her sable-clad companion sit down next to her.

Duo pulled out the letter from the envelope and unfolded it, crossing one leg over the other. "Hmm, this is weird, it's from some guy named E. Hey, that's Elminster, I know about him. He's this freaky wizard that gives clues to random adventurers to help them complete their quests and stuff."

"Sounds like a stalker," Hilde quipped, giving the letter a wary glance. "So, what does it say?"

"Um," he scratched at his tawny head, eyes scanning the words, "Some kind of prophecy. Blah, blah, blah, 'ten and twenty years', blah, blah, blah, 'trouble in the heavens', blah, blah, blah . . ." one sienna brow rose and he slowed, staring at the letter.

"What?" Hilde leaned over his shoulder but he waved her away, a weak smile breaking across his quickly paling features.

"Oh, nothin', it's just this last part is a little unexpected." He cleared his throat and the color returned to his face as he gave her a small grin. "Let's see, 'Bhaal will find his death; his throne will lie fallow and his soul shall be split amongst the heavens . . . and the world shall wait for his heir.' Kinda creepy." Chuckling nervously, Duo stood and began to pace the room, letter gradually crumpling within his hand.

"Hey," Hilde blinked with concern, watching him as he seemed to pull his nervousness inward and away from her sight, "who's Bhaal, anyhow?"

"Ah, no one in particular," he told her as he strode back and forth, eyes locked onto the stoked fireplace brimming with flames.

With a sigh, she stood and leaned against the wall, crossing her arms. "I don't buy that, Duo. C'mon, it's a prophecy. If you know something, spit it out."

Stalking across the room once more, Duo shrugged, black cloak flaring out in his wake as he pivoted to pace back before the fire. "Oh, Bhaal is one of the Gods," he told her, tossing the letter into the blaze as he passed, his steps slowing.

"Which one?" her quiet tone broached the silence, and Duo halted at her words.

Emitting a low chuckle, he turned to the fire and leaned his palms up against the mantle, staring into the flames. "He's the . . . God of Murder . . . and Death."

((()))

Earth, Moscow  
April 13th – 9:10 pm

"Relena."

Heero closed his eyes from where he lay face-up on the bed, arms and legs flung out in the darkness. Exhaling, he studied the blackness behind his eyelids, and allowed his mind to wander.

He had already done his research into the school as soon as Quatre had arranged their rooms. Discovering that there wasn't any way to graduate earlier than the class frustrated him to a slight degree, but he'd quickly brushed that aside and sought out other possible advantages. Fortunately, as far as he could discover by hacking, Une had already created their backgrounds. A true history for him did not actually exist . . . he had no birthplace, no social security number, no identity. But thanks to Une, he now _did_.

If only he could rely upon that false record now and just get a G.E.D. However, from what he knew about Une, she would immediately take back her gift if he didn't continue with his end of the agreement. Therefore, any early graduation or diploma appeared to be out of the question at this time.

The dark-haired young man frowned, eyes still closed. The dark of his eyelids almost took on an indigo sheen as he further considered his options, and some inner section found this color change curious and made a note to investigate if he ever had any free time. Lately he'd had more opportunity for recreational analyses.

If he could trust his ability to hack and alter records enough, he would have simply created an educational background himself. However, there were so many systems, safeguards and unknowns that doing so would have been quite foolish. Une had it easy; she worked above that system. Heero preferred to use as much possible data as he could have, and when it came to the likelihood of anyone discovering his digital creation, he could not truly know the quotient of any variable involved.

Once again, that bit of frustration grated at his psyche, but he pushed it down. There remained no reason at all to be upset, really. If he had to spend a year in a school, at least he would have food and lodging, and he'd always found learning to be fascinating. Perhaps the concept of being railroaded bothered him. Une had removed the pilots' own control from them, and Heero found himself admiring her genius. Her deft manipulation couldn't be contended with; as if they were pieces in a life-sized game of chess, they were now exactly where she wanted them.

For someone who had used the colonies as hostages against the Gundam pilots, Director Une had certainly grown and changed. But Heero found himself wondering: if they were pieces in a game of chess that she was manipulating, were they of her color, or the other? And who was the opponent?

Heero opened his eyes, and the shapes and forms of the hotel room blinked into being around him. Staring up at the ceiling, he shook his head infinitesimally. _IS there an opponent now? Or does she consider the possibility of losing to be her enemy?_

Enemy.

Shutting his eyes firmly once more, the boy could already feel his thoughts straying. _No, I don't have to fight again. All Une wants is for us to consider her offer. No one said that I had to join the Preventers. _

_But why _wouldn't_ you want to,_ he pointed out to himself, glowering up at the ceiling again,_ if you always believed that true pacifism was _impossible_?_

_I'm such a hypocrite. _

Heero had felt so betrayed by Relena after she had become the Princess of the Sanc Kingdom. How could she have acted so affectionate and concerned when she believed that peace could be achieved without any struggle?

The fight for peace that he had undertaken meant nothing to her.

Or so he had believed at that time. He had felt . . . tossed away. Discarded. Like every other warrior for peace.

He totally understood how Wu Fei had suffered . . . but Heero considered himself fortunate that he had discovered the truth about Relena's views sooner than Wu Fei had.

Relena had not truly comprehended reality at that time. It took her over a year to actually recognize that peace could not be created so effortlessly. There would always be those people to thirst for power and lack in any conscience. The assumption that every person would understand peace if they just had it explained to them . . . it showed how naïve and pure-hearted Relena truly was. For that purity, he had been and still was thankful; but it didn't take away the sting of her thoughtlessness at the time.

_And now . . . she is whole. Perfect. _ Whatever imperfections she might have were outshone by the knowledge she had gained, and knowing that she could understand him somehow meant more than any damage any other flaw she had could do.

His logical center grumbled at that concept time and again, but it almost made Heero smile in amusement at how he was living beyond logic and reason . . . and that such senseless emotions didn't seem to really feel uncomfortable.

They used to.

Smirking slightly, he closed his eyes once more, seeing her face within his mind. This time, it . . . didn't feel as painful.

"Relena . . ." Heero sighed as the sensation of warm sun floated over his skin even though the ebony of night surrounded him. In his imagination, he could see the Chicago marina spread out before him, a blanket on the grass and the wind-tossed waves beyond.

Instead of some unknown man and woman sitting there holding hands, he could see her gossamer honey hair dancing in the breeze as she sat, beginning to unpack the picnic she'd made . . .

. . . And he sat next to her, gaze held by the gentleness of her smile and the glint of joy reflected from her sapphire eyes . . .

He could see himself, beaming joyfully, within them.

Heero drifted off to sleep, seeing an image of himself smiling as he had never smiled before – bright . . . full . . . undaunted and unrestrained – mirrored within those deep blue eyes.

_Relena . . ._

((()))

Earth, Moscow  
April 13th – 9:20 pm

Duo yawned as he dropped back onto the plush hotel bed. After staring at the ceiling for a moment, he sat up and began pulling his form-fitting ruby and black shirt up over his head, then tossed it onto the floor and started with his jeans.

After talking with Hilde during the game, they'd called it quits, both tired from jet-lag and still needing to unpack. Once Duo had returned to his hotel room, he realized that he was too exhausted to deal with putting his clothes away. _Who cares if we're here for a week, I'm bushed. I'll unpack tomorrow. _

With a sigh, he sat up and walked over to the chest of drawers and began to unbraid his hair, glancing at his reflection in the mirror above the polished wood. He'd definitely grown taller over the past year, as it seemed a late growth-spurt had finally kicked in. Smiling slightly, Duo shook out his lengths of brown hair and headed for the bathroom, shedding the last of his clothes as he went.

His eyes caught his reflection in the mirror there above the sink, and for a moment the young man flicked his gaze over his bare chest and arms, noting again the definite difference now compared to two years ago. _Sensei always told me that when children exercise and use their muscles a great deal, their actual muscle development doesn't occur until their late teens, _Duo mused as he got into the shower. _Why did that bastard always have to be right about everything? _Turning on the water faucets, he watched as his long hair feathered out around him like a chestnut cloak, the ends pooling in soft auburn swirls along the bottom of the porcelain bathtub.

_I wonder if Hilde thinks my hair is too girly? She always said how nice she thought it was, but . . ._ Thinking of her, Duo frowned and flicked his fingers through the gushing water. Deciding it warm enough, he turned on the shower head and stood under the hot liquid, eyes closing.

_I haven't cried like that since I was a little kid. I wonder what's wrong with me._

His masses of wet locks hung heavily across his back, reminding him to hurry and bathe before the hot water ran out, but to his surprise, the cascade continued to steam as he stood under it, his head hanging back and shoulders slumping from exhaustion. _Must be because it's a hotel. Huge water heaters. _Finally, Duo pulled his long hair forward and reached for the shampoo bottle to begin washing it, that familiar frustration returning as he received the common reminder of how difficult cleaning almost five feet of hair could be.

Shampooing took many minutes, and in the billowing steam, with such a familiar activity to occupy his mind, Duo found himself thinking back over what had happened that day. _Hilde didn't even seem upset or surprised that I broke down._ Shaking his head slightly as he rubbed in the shampoo, he smiled weakly at the memory._ I guess she was expecting it. She always was the stray type . . . I must seem irresistible. _

Duo's shoulders drooped again, and he sighed as he finished scrubbing the ends of his hair. Setting down the new – and now half-empty – bottle of shampoo, he grabbed up the hotel bar of soap and unwrapped it, then continued to bathe. _Am I just another stray? Why would she let me live with her anyway? I'm way too dangerous._

Then again, danger never seemed to be something that would phase her. Watching the wafting fog from the scalding water, the young pilot could see her joyful features in his mind . . .

_No . . . Hilde's my friend. My best friend. She wouldn't put up with me if not._ Standing back under the downpour, Duo told himself forcefully, _Anyhow, there are tons of other homeless people wandering around, and she never took them in. Sure, she bought them sandwiches, but . . . that doesn't count._

Chuckling a bit at his own paranoia, he set about using up most of the bottle of conditioner he'd bought. _Gee, this stuff is so expensive, it's probably cheaper to just buy the avocados themselves and use THAT,_ he joked to himself as he ran the cream through the weighty lengths of hair.

_I wonder,_ his mouth hardened, violet eyes falling to the floor of the tub, _am I getting soft? Crying like that . . . I haven't sobbed so much since I was a kid. _ Recalling that time sent a sharp, almost physical ache right through his chest, and swiftly he pushed away the memory. _ But I've also never spent so much time with someone who actually seemed to _like_ me, even just a little. Even Otou-Sensei never really showed me much affection,_ he glowered at the bottom of the tub . . . then his head fell, eyes closing.

_Sensei . . . _

Though they'd never been particularly close, the year and four months hadn't dampened the hurt one bit. Duo could still remember the moment he found out that the Gundam designers had died.

_No one could have survived that. The whole engineering area of Peacemillion was so much space junk . . . _

He just wished they could have found the bodies and been able to give them proper burials.

Discovering his eyes watering again, Duo clenched his jaw, and the tears halted angrily. _I shouldn't even be sad about that bastard. The 'professor' wouldn't even let me call him "dad" in English . . . not once. Hell, the only time I could even speak English around him was after the Sweeper Group joined the blasted Barton Foundation, because no one in the Foundation understood Japanese. Fucking old-fashioned jack-ass, and he wasn't even Japanese himself!_

Having rinsed out the conditioner, the young man sighed and turned off the water, then stepped from the tub to grab a nearby towel. _Speaking of which . . ._ Frowning, he glared at his reflection in the mirror, violet eyes cold. _That was a pretty close call with Hilde, today. I have to be more careful . . . or someone might figure it out._

Exhaling slowly again as he wrapped the towel around himself, the pilot headed for the bedroom, flicking off the lights and plunging the bathroom into darkness as he left.

((()))

Earth, Moscow  
April 13th – 9:36 pm

Whipping a vicious snap-kick at the punching bag, Catherine growled and spun again to face it, landing two punches with her gloved hands to the bag as it swung back to her.

Around her, silence enveloped the exercise room; the borrowed punching gloves were a bit big on her, but the acrobat didn't mind.

_Dammit,_ she thought to herself as she punched again, maroon curls dancing, _can't they leave Trowa out of their fights? Don't they realize how sensitive he is? If they say they need him, he'll go, even if he really doesn't want to. He's battled enough for peace, and he's so young. He deserves a rest, and if they refuse to give themselves a break, it's their own fault. They shouldn't be dragging him into it._

She hit the bag again, but her strike felt weaker, and with a scowl, she stopped, grabbing the bag and leaning against it as her face fell further.

_But Trowa doesn't see it either; he's so into the hero complex that he won't admit that he's too young to be living like this. Teenagers aren't supposed to be fighting. People grow up too fast as it is. Why shouldn't he get to have a childhood like everyone else did? _

Arms wrapped around the bag, she sunk into it slightly and sighed. "It's not fair."

A familiar voice startled her, saying softly, "I know."

Catherine stood and turned around, frowning up at Trowa from where he leaned a hand against the nearby wall. "What are you doing here?" she grumbled, periwinkle eyes narrowed in biting agony.

The tall young man exhaled slowly, then gave her a tiny smile. "Cathy. I wish you wouldn't get so upset about this."

Glowering, she turned back to the punching bag and began hitting it again, growing more annoyed when he moved to hold her target in place. "You just don't get it! There are plenty of people who can fight, adults, people who have lived their lives and made a choice! You shouldn't be fighting their battles. If your friends want to waste their lives on this," she swung again but Trowa's muddy green eyes never left her own, even though she glared at the bag he held for her, "that's their own problem, they shouldn't be dragging you with them!"

He shook his head, gaze still calm and serene as he held the sand-filled bag effortlessly. "I did make a choice. No one convinced me or brainwashed me or threatened me to make this decision. And I want you to stop blaming my friends," his tone hardened as he gazed at her resolutely. "They deserve compassion for what they've been through just as much, if not more than I do."

Halting, Catherine blinked and dropped her arms to her sides in surprise. "More?"

With a long sigh, he let go of the bag and leaned his back against the nearby wall, crossing his arms. "From what I've learned and seen, I know that they've been through far more than I have. I don't really remember my childhood, but it's not something that bothers me. I feel satisfied with where I am and the choices I'm now making with my life."

His hazel gaze rested on her tenderly, tone quieting further. "I probably shouldn't be telling you all of this, but I think you need to know. The last thing I want is for you and them to alienate each other or hate each other . . . Because if they find out that you feel this way, I know it will hurt them. And that will just lead to a confrontation, sooner or later."

Exhaling in annoyance, the girl began removing the gloves, all fight out of her. "Okay."

Trowa nodded a bit and looked down, as if in thought, then began. "The reasons that I think they've had a harder time than I have are pretty simple, but these are things that I'd prefer you not repeat." He glanced up to her and she bobbed her head, so he continued. "Heero, as you've seen, is pretty cold. Early on in our missions, he killed all of the Alliance's pacifists, because of a ruse created by Oz. Under the misinformed impression that he was getting rid of Oz's leaders, he instead killed innocent men and women working toward peace . . . thus providing another reason – possibly the final reason – for the Earth to go to war."

Catherine's eyes, which had been widening the entire time, began to water slightly, and she raised her bare hands to her chest, fingers cross-clenched tightly as if in prayer. "And he carries that with him, doesn't he." At his nod, she dropped her head.

"Quatre's father was murdered by the colonists of the colony his family owned, with the help of Oz. That sent Quatre into a horrible place, and it was a long time before he could deal with that. His father," he added in a somber whisper, "never approved of him fighting . . . and Quatre was never able to hear from his father how very proud he actually was. His sisters have tried to instill it within him, but it's just not the same."

Crushed, she sniffled and wiped at her eyes, thinking of the kind blond who seemed so eager to help. "Oh, Trowa, I'm sorry," she murmured.

He unfolded his arms and pulled her to him, shaking his head. "It's alright. You didn't know. I just think you should remember that, often, you don't get the full story. Everyone has pain in their pasts. You, me, and every single person we meet in our lives. There's not one person who hasn't had a tragedy . . . many may not even admit it to themselves, but it's there."

Nodding again, Catherine squeezed him tightly and asked, "What about Duo and Wu Fei? Wu Fei seems really hurting, but Duo acts pretty silly. I suppose that's just a cover."

"It is. I think sometimes that people who act the most happy are hiding the most pain inside." Smiling down at her, he added, "What is that old saying? 'Clowns are laughing on the outside and crying on the inside'? As ironic as it may be, I think that fits Duo very well."

Adjusting his grip around her, Trowa continued sadly, "From what Duo's told me, he was an orphan since he was pretty young, four or five; he doesn't remember his actual age. Young enough to be badly hurt, but too old to totally forget his parents. He lived on the streets for a while, and after a few years, he was adopted. But he still felt pretty distant. He hasn't told me very much at all, but I can tell that he didn't get much of a childhood with his new parents. He's certainly not living with them now; who knows if they're even still alive."

With a sigh, he looked down at her and smiled slightly. "Wu Fei _is_ hurting, I think. He would never tell anyone his emotions, from what I can surmise, but I do know that he came from the colony L3-9821, the colony that destroyed itself in preference to being taken over by Oz. Every person on the colony died with it; I can only gather that his entire family and his home were obliterated as well."

Catherine buried her head into his chest and sobbed a bit, then wiped her eyes and gazed up at him. "I'm sorry, Trowa. Thanks for telling me, I won't tell anyone." Dropping her head, she shook it sorrowfully. "I'm sorry I was so selfish. I didn't want to lose you . . ." _I've had my tragedies, too . . ._

He held her as she cried a bit more, gently brushing his fingers through her hair. "It's alright, Cathy. You meant well. And I think you'll grow even more from this. Just remember, I'll always be here. I know you're trying to protect me, but you have to let me be free to fight to protect you, also."

"Okay," she nodded, rubbing her cheek against his chest. "I'll do my best."

Trowa hugged her tightly, and she could hear the smile in his voice. "I know you can do it."


	7. Chapter 7

Hey, everyone

We are sooo sorry it took so long to update. CEP says it's his fault, lol, but it really had to do with us losing this whole chapter and having to rewrite it. We were both pretty depressed, but finally we got back into the groove and rewrote it. Thank God for that! (If you're not religious, just ignore us.)

So, here it us, but first, replies to reviews!

**Genkai Lady**: Thanks a bunch! We tried with Hilde and Duo: Something to keep in mind, though a lot of people have commented that Duo is acting very emotional, (with one complaint about it so far ) this upcoming chapter should help explain that even further. Personally, CEP and I both feel that Duo has always been the most troubled pilot, since Heero and Trowa both seem comfortable with the way they are, and Wu Fei only really requires a role to fit into in order to be happy, and Quatre just wants to hold tea parties. (just kidding!) Duo calls himself the God of Death yet obviously wants a girlfriend. Something's wrong. I'm glad you liked Cathy! I think she would have to be very compassionate to care for Trowa so much. She's like a tigress.

**Itsa C. Kret**: I'm glad you liked the heart-to-heart, but as to Trowa's eyes, sometimes they look brown, and sometimes they look green. Since hazel is a green-brown, we figure that it's safe. And if you've ever watched the X-Files, you'd know, hazel sometimes looks brown and sometimes looks green. (winks to the DD fans out there)

**Hououza**: Definitly, Duo obviously has self-worth issues. And it makes sense to worry about losing friendship - I myself have lost a few due to trying a romantic relationship, and it's painful if it doesn't work out. If it does work, then it's great, but you never know until you try.

As to Heero, yes, Relena wants to help him. Both CEP and I feel that while Relena had a fascination with Heero, she's not obsessed in a controlling way. She wants to help him, even if he never loves her back.

Trowa was an enigma until I realized that at the end of Endless Waltz, he seemed to have not only a handle on his worthiness, his life and his purpose, but also on the universe as a whole. This is why we made him Buddhist. It seems to fit with the way his character ended up post EW. You were in Japan? LUCKY! (Ukky cries vainly)

**Sydney**: Wow, thanks! It's nice to have people support us instead of complain about nit-picky things. (which thankfully is few and far between) We appreciate you and all of our readers.

**Anouk**: I'm going to field this one (CEP). Cry-baby . . . do you mean how he's expressing emotion to the only person who he's ever opened up to? Or do you mean how this is the first time he's cried since he was six years old? And BTW, you're making an assumption as to why he's crying at all. Just because Hilde thinks that's why he's crying doesn't mean that's what it is.

If you'd actually read the last chapter you wouldn't be able to think that because you would have been fairly smacked with it during his shower scene. I'm glad that you take circumstantial data and assume it to be true, especially when you don't bother to test it against other existing data . . . that's a very effective way to think.

But because you didn't bother to actually read the last chapter, I'll give a quick summary: Duo cried because his only father figure was Proffessor G, who was a jerk, but now he's dead. And because I know you're not the type to examine something for deeper meaning, I'll elaborate: Duo equated his worth with his ability to fight. But he doesn't do that anymore. He no longer has any link back to feelings of self-worth, aside from Hilde. Please, in the future make sure to think before you write, because you really end up looking . . . well . . . stupid.

Ukky again . . . and I just have to say - we're not the only ones who think you're acting like a doofus. Just read the other reviews.

**Kamineko**: Yea! Thanks for giving us so much feedback! The tons of comments really help our creative juices! And we fixed the eye-stuff, just so you know. Thanks for noticing, to be honest, I think we were just so excited to write it that we didn't notice.

As to Duo, he definitly acted different in the beginning of this fanfic - mostly because he was spending time with all of his friends, and so was acting like a whacko. He is going to be very different in this chapter, since he's had some time to relax and there are some . . . not so good things that happen.

We are overjoyed that you approve of our take on Relena! To be honest, this fanfic is the most realistic way we can envision a continuation of GW after EW. Relena was certainly the little girl in the series, and the movie, even. Although I would excuse her, since she was 15 or so. But all of her experiences, and the fact that this fanfic takes place 16 months after the end of the series, I believe that she would have definitly grown and cooled down a bit.

As to the couplings, like we said, realism is the key. We both believe in the standard couplings (Heero/Relena, Duo/Hilde) and some semi-standard couplings (Wu Fei/Sally, Quatre/Dorothy), however, we don't think that they would get together right away. We appreciate and value the interactions between all characters, and feel that without these interactions, there is a fatal flaw in the realism of one's fanfic.

Trowa is not in this chapter really, but he will be back, lol. We don't want to leave any character in the dark, though of course the teens are our primary characters at the moment, since this will end up being a "high school" fanfic. How loath I am to call it that! LOL.

**ally127**: Thank you! We try to be as detailed as possible, though sometimes we miss the mark. We appreciate your review, keep reading! This chapter should prove to be most enlightening.

**IamMidnite**: Wow, high praise! With so many fanfics out there, we're really grateful that you found ours to be the most accurate between Duo and Hilde! Truthfully, Hilde's character is not really fleshed out in the series, or the movie. So we had to strongly expand on it, building up from the framework of her actions, her fashion and her opinions. It was actually rather difficult, but we feel comfortable with what we discovered. As to Wu Fei and Catherine, I think that it's a possibility. Just as any of the characters (except homosexually unless a LOT changes for them) are possible love interests for each other. We're sorry this chapter came so late, but as we said, losing a whole chapter made us very upset and we weren't able to write anything for almost 4 months! Please forgive us!

**Shahrezad1**: Hey, there! No worries, look at how long it took for us to post a chapter, if you take a while to review, we are ever forgiving (considering our own state of dissarray). Lol, as to Duo taking initiative, it's more accurate to say his body took initiative while his brain took a holiday, lol. (CEP: he's following his beam-saber.) The couples will be dealt with shortly, but for this chapter, we are concentrating more on showing how the characters have developed as friends and interact with each other now, after time has passed.

**Kamineko**: (CEP and Ukky cry "we're not worthy" SOB SOB SOB!)

**Elly**: Well, there is some Heero and Relena in this chapter! Just . . . not together . . . Thanks for your review!

* * *

**Chapter 7**

Earth, Moscow  
April 14th – 12:01 am

_Everything was white . . . cold, sterile, too bright . . ._

_Then he could hear the frantic voices all around him, and slowly his surroundings wavered into view, as if what had been blurred now came into sharp focus._

_Hesitantly, then with growing desperation, the young man began pushing through the crowds of people, some crying, some wearing crisp ivory coats, everyone with white breath masks over their faces –_

_He found a door, finally, and pushed at it, but it gave a firm _thunk_ and refused to move. Violet eyes widening, he backed away from the words emblazoned backwards across the safety-glass window . . . _

QUARANTINE.

"_What do you mean we only have a thousand cc's of the cowpox virus!" a face-masked man hissed angrily behind him, and the boy spun to see two white-coated figures wringing their hands as they argued. _

"_Doctor," the woman cried back, voice muffled by the mask she wore, "Smallpox hasn't affected the human populous in over three hundred years, these vaccines were being stored for scientific use, not for treatment!" Her pale green eyes looked up and away from the man anxiously as they spoke._

_Rushing up to them, the young brunet tried to grab at the woman's arm, but his hand seemed to pass through her. "Hey!" he yelled at them. "what's going on?!"_

_As if he wasn't even there, they turned away and the man cried out, "Doctor Scotts, contact the Southridge Institute, see if they can clone the cowpox virus that we _do_ have! At this rate, if we have to wait for supply from earth, this colony will be decimated!"_

"_What about the terrorists, has the Alliance given into their demands?" another, older man in an ivory mask demanded. " The terrorists might be lying about having enough vaccine, but anything is worth a try at this point."_

"_No," the woman spat, all three becoming distant in the crowd as they walked away, "the Alliance doesn't seem to care about the lives of the colonists."_

_Hanging his head, the teenager turned back to the clusters of civilians seated and standing against the walls, and glanced over at the nurses as they made rounds among the crying children._

_He stepped forward, watching with increasing unease as the people parted before him, revealing a little auburn-haired boy huddling against the side of a chair, fingers clutching his exposed inner elbow. Against his arm, along the vein, a dark puncture wound leaked a single drop of ruby blood._

_The child looked up, and the young man stiffened at the desperate, piercing violet gaze that locked onto his own. _

_Blinking sadly up at him, the little boy shook his head and whispered, "Mommy and Daddy are dead."_

"_**NOOOOOO!**__" Stumbling back, the teen spun, suddenly plunged into darkness – _

_- 'I'm so proud of you, son.'-_

_-'Do you want Mommy to tell you a story?'-_

_-'My kid's gonna grow up to be the smartest boy in school'-_

_-'I love you, Duo. You'll always be my little boy'-_

_Blackness._

_He was sobbing. No sound but that; echoing._

_He thought he was sitting on the ground, but he couldn't see it._

_There was nothing to see._

_For an undeterminable amount of time, he sat there. Forever . . . for a blink of an eye._

_Then the tone - the resonance - of metal sang through the air, of wind whisking along a blade._

"_Who's there?!" he pulled himself up, wiping at his eyes. "I wouldn't mess with me if I were you. You think I'm easy prey just because I'm alone?!" he screamed, fists clenching as he glared out into the unending sable void. "Then come and receive your demise, at the hands of the-"_

"_-__**God of Death**__?" a voice hissed, and the boy stumbled back._

_A pair of glowing scarlet orbs shimmered into existence from obsidian shadow, and a rough, husky laugh filled the nothingness._

_Growling as the figure materialized, the brunet lifted his chin defiantly, long braid tossing with barely contained rage as he stared at the sable-cloaked specter. "You," he spat, and began advancing upon the sickle-wielding phantom, "this is all your damn fault!"_

_The ghastly chuckling began once more, and somehow in the inky darkness, the blade of the sickle glinted eerily. _

"_Stop moving!" he cried, swinging at the form, yet always finding himself just out of reach. "Say something, dammit! You took away my parents! You KILLED them!" _

_Laughter trickling into silence, the pair of burning sanguine eyes merely gazed at him from beneath the heavy ebony hood._

_With a grunt, he swung a final time, and found no purchase. Gasping raggedly for air, the young man glowered up at the dark creature. "You took them from me."_

"_**Did I**__?" it finally rasped, and fingers of bone slipped from the folds of the cloak, reaching upwards toward the cowl. "__**You were not mistaken before**__," it continued grimly, "__**when you called me**_. . ._"_

. . ._ it tossed back the hood, and the boy shrunk away in dread _. . .

"_**The God of Death**_._"_

_His own face smirked back at him . . . sunken eyes glowing red._

Gasping, Duo opened his eyes to see the murky walls of his hotel room, hands clenched tightly around the tangled sheets. He had sat up at some point, he realized, his panicked gaze jerking around himself as he continued to breathe, heart hammering within his chest. _Just a dream . . . but, Christ, what a dream. Gee, wonder where _this_ one came from,_ he joked nervously to himself.

The digital alarm clock at the bedside table turned from 1:59 to 2:00 as he watched.

With a shiver, he lay back down, pulling the disheveled covers over him. "Just a dream," he repeated. "And there's no way in–" stopping himself, he amended shakily, "there's no way I'm bothering Hilde about this." _Not after how happy she was to get a room all to herself for once._

Resolved, the braided teen stared up at the ceiling, thoughts simultaneously racing and empty in the oppressive silence, but sleep eluded him.

When he looked at the clock again, it read 4:25, and Duo couldn't withstand another moment in the blackness of the room.

Flipping on the lights and swiftly dressing, he hurried from the sterile chambers . . . almost slamming the door behind him in an effort to escape the haunting blackness that provided a chilling reminder of old memories . . . long buried.

(-(-(-)-)-)

Clean-shaven and freshly bathed, Heero sat in the thick, fluid darkness of twilight, waiting for the sun to rise. Barely registering the flickering glow from the television as it played across his features, the young man inhaled and exhaled slowly, allowing the sensation of being clean to roll over him.

The flash training he had received years ago under Doctor J's tutelage had given him a wide range of knowledge pertaining to social etiquette and high society, and incidentally, had also instilled a strong appreciation for cleanliness. Unfortunately, Heero's lack of funds and lack of necessity meant that he had been unable to utilize those teachings or indulge in his preferences.

Posture erect in the desk chair, he glanced down at himself, eyes flicking over the dark gray slacks and forest green dress-shirt Quatre had forced upon him before they had left the colonies.

The rather mothering blond had insisted on the necessity for Heero to own an acceptable wardrobe for his new identity . . . though Heero had an inkling it was more of an excuse. However, finding his logic impeccable, he acceded to Quatre's demands. After all, Heero had only been able to bring himself to argue the decision for the span of a few moments; the clothing he'd been previously forced to make due with for so many months could barely be considered wearable anymore, and he found himself detesting the worn, filthy items, no matter how illogical it was to feel that way.

Running a hand through his newly washed cocoa-hued hair, the pilot raised his head to gaze across the room toward the uncovered window, where shades of cobalt gray colored the cityscape. He breathed in again, and the scent of the soap and shampoo filled his nostrils. _How I've missed taking showers_, he told himself, a slight tone of amusement to the thoughts. _That alone will certainly make waiting a whole year for my diploma bearable._

Disgusted by the inane chattering of the Russian newscasters on the screen as they misreported on the latest ESUN infighting, Heero stood and walked slowly to the television, flicking it off. Shadow flooded the room as his eyes adjusted immediately to the absence of light, and the young pilot turned and began making his way to the door, not wanting to miss seeing the sunrise.

As he strode across the black-drenched chambers, he paused, Prussian eyes catching upon an object jutting from underneath the door. An ivory envelope, practically glowing in the surrounding darkness, lay upon the floor. Scrawled across it in quick, firm cursive was the word "Heero".

With a slight frown crossing his lips, the sepia-locked young man crouched to pick it up, then rose again and stalked back to the chair by the desk, sitting down. _Une wouldn't have sent me anything on hardcopy when she could wait the few hours for day to break and call me to her office. Who else would know of my location? _Studying the letter, he found the script completely unfamiliar, and far too forceful to be Une's hand.

Opening the letter, he unfolded the piece of paper he found within and glanced down at the signature in order to know immediately who sent him the letter. _Hilde?_ Heero frowned, confused, and returned to the top of the letter.

_Dear Heero, _

_Sorry to bug you, but please read this letter. I know it's pretty strange that I would send you something, but it's really important._

_I'm writing to you about Duo. The first thing I want to do is apologize about the Wing Zero doll. Duo truly had never intended you to see it – it was all my fault for showing you against his wishes and I think you should blame me if you blame anyone. The last thing he wanted was to get you upset again. I think the doll was his way of remembering a friend._

_I know that before this incident even happened, there have been some issues. Sometimes Duo just acts like a moron, and he puts his foot in his mouth. But he's actually a pretty good guy and he cares about his friends a lot. Not that he has that many friends._

_Duo doesn't have a lot of people who he feels understand him. He's got no family and the only friends he has are those allies he made during the recent wars. The truth is, and I hope you believe me, but I think Duo sees you as a brother. I'm not sure if you're the "older" brother or he is, but that's the way it is. And I may be out of line, but it seems you Gundam pilots can use any friends you can get. _

_Well, anyhow, that's really all I had to say. I hope you give him a chance._

_Yours,_

_Hilde_

Staring down at the letter, the young man continued to frown in thought. _Duo . . . sees me as an older brother? _ _That's not possible. _

However, despite his inner protestations, the logic center of his brain swiftly took this new data and combined it with existing information. It formed a cohesive picture that was undeniable.

_Why would he? I always believed that Duo's apparent attempts at friendship were manipulations designed to lull me into a false sense of security and trust: he had no reason to be friendly except for the chance to deceive me, as we knew nothing of the other and were not meant to be allies. But he trusts Hilde and has lived with her for one year and six months. If she says he considers me as such a close familial connection, than it must be true . . . unless she is lying as well. _

A quiver of frustration ran through him as his mind informed him of the great unlikelihood of that event, considering how Hilde would have nothing to gain from deceiving him. Heero had no secrets to take advantage of, no assets to acquire, and few if any associations to manipulate, since he had managed to become practically invisible to all organizations and most individuals. _Even if they wanted to get closer to Relena or Quatre, they already have ties far stronger to either than I could provide, or than I even have._

With another downward quirk of his mouth, the young man glanced up at the window, where the faint wisps of dawn were just beginning to show on the horizon. _I'm going to miss the sunrise._ Standing, the dark-haired pilot gave another uneasy look to the letter in his hand, then began to carefully fold it, edge precisely touching edge, placing it into the back pocket of his slacks.

Prussian eyes narrowed, he pivoted on his heel and headed for the exit, thoughts unusually jumbled inside his head. _If this is true, and Duo views me as an older brother, than I must determine how this will affect my mission. _ With a frown, he opened the door to his hotel room and stepped out into the hall. _I've never had any family before. I've never needed any._

A twinge of insecurity settled over him and he began striding down the corridor, the bland ivory of the walls tinted a dusty saffron from the overhead lights dotted along the ceiling. _Maybe my needs are changing._

(-(-(-)-)-)

Earth, Izumo  
April 14th – 9:51 am

"Wait!"

Wu Fei exhaled slowly as he marched down the corridor toward Relena's room, her mother close behind him with a horrified expression across her pale features. Facing forward, he spoke curtly, "She's already thirty minutes late, Missus Dorlan. I can't wait any longer."

Wincing, the blue-eyed woman caught up to him - legs longer but in less perfect physical condition than his own - and ordered, "Stop! You can't just barge into her room!"

He raised his head and glowered at her, eyes dark. "Missus Dorlan," he spoke, tone clipped, "I can, and I will. Can you imagine the disgrace of her showing up late to her _own_ staff meeting? She's already late because you wanted to let her sleep in; she can't afford any further delays."

Doors passed to either side of them as they walked, the woman wringing her hands worriedly, voice almost shrill. "I'm sure she's getting dressed _right now_. Just give her a few more minutes!"

"No more minutes," the Chinese agent shook his head, adjusting the hem of his Preventer's jacket impatiently as they reached her door.

Grabbing his arm, the older woman exclaimed, "But what if she's . . . not decent! You _can't_ go into her room without her knowledge!"

Wu Fei stopped and turned to gaze up coldly at Relena's mother, annoyance and a bit of humor pursing his lips. "Missus Dorlan, I have been the Vice Foreign Minister's bodyguard for almost three months now. I can assure you that there is _nothing_ in that room," he pointed to the door sharply, "that I _have not_ seen."

With that, the young man turned the knob and shoved open the door, entering briskly . . .

. . . to the sight of an underwear-clad Relena and Dorothy strewn across each other on the bed, limbs intertwined sensually beyond the parted lilac canopy curtains.

Halting, Wu Fei blinked, eyes widening very slightly, then cleared his throat. "Except that," he firmly amended.

"Oh, my," Mrs. Dorlan gasped behind him, then covered her mouth with her hands and suppressed a giggle.

Giving a sigh, the Preventer agent frowned at the two blondes snuggling in their sleep. Then his lips quirked smugly and he walked up to the foot of the bed, leaning over it and cupping his hands around his mouth. Glancing back to the chuckling woman behind him before turning to face the bed again, Wu Fei bellowed at the two girls, "COVER THINE EYES, MADAM! THERE IS INDECENCY AFOOT!"

At the head of the bed, squeaking at being awoken, Relena winced and shoved her head under a pillow. "Oww . . ."

Chortling, Relena's mother suddenly began to moan with mock-sorrow, "Oh, my poor baby, growing up so soon. She's already inviting strange women into her bed . . ."

Narrowing his eyes, Wu Fei strode over to Relena's side of the bed and frowned. Pausing for a mere moment, he then leaned forward, mouth inches from her pillow-covered ears.

"INJUSTICE!" he yelled, eliciting screams and cries of pain from the two girls.

"Wu Fei! Ow . . ." Blinking, the Vice Foreign Minister turned and pulled the pillow from her face to gaze up blearily at him. "What are you doing here?" she muttered, then dropped her face into her hands. "God, my head . . ."

"You're late," he spat, taking two steps back from the bed. His ebony eyes snapped as he glared down at the both of them, nose crinkling as the distinct scent of tequila touched his nostrils.

Running a hand through her tousled blonde hair, Relena gave him a confused look. "Late?" Sudden comprehension dawned on her features, and she jumped from the bed, crying, "Oh-my-God, I'm late!" only to get tangled in the sheets and collapse onto the floor with a _thump_.

On the other side of the canopy bed, Dorothy pulled at the light violet sheets and blankets, muttering in a lazy soprano voice, "No, cold . . ." and rolled onto her side into a fetal position, obviously planning on going back to sleep.

Unimpressed, Wu Fei crossed his arms and watched as Relena struggled to rise, then grunted and stepped forward. He pulled her up by her arms and helped her step out from the mass of blankets. "You went out _drinking_ last night, _didn't_ you." The harsh tone made the sentence a definite statement.

Relena winced back from his tone and his glaring black eyes, her own doe-like gaze guilty and pained. "I can have a night out if I want to!" she suddenly exclaimed, back straightening and expression instantly fiery; an incongruous image paired with her state of undress.

Frowning at the sudden accentuation of her undergarment-clad figure, Wu Fei released her and turned his back to her quickly, crossing his arms. "You should have called me!" he yelled, expression sorely infuriated as he set his glare upon the amused older woman still watching them.

Turning his head away from the mother in disgust, he continued, "You _know_ that I would have gone with you had you let me know what you were doing. And to go with _Dorothy_ of all people!" he snapped, gesturing vaguely in the direction of the other girl behind him. "It's too dangerous, and she can hardly be considered a suitable bodyguard . . . _and_ you are LATE!"

There was a pause and the sound of stumbling footsteps behind him, and then he heard Relena mumble painfully, "Stop yelling . . . I was fine . . ."

Mrs. Dorlan simply shrugged and smiled at him, eliciting a glower from the young man as his hands drop to clench into fists. "You," he spat to the girl behind him, "were hardly _fine_. You were all by yourself, with only Miss Catalonia to protect you! She can barely protect _herself_! Look at the two of you! You ought to be ashamed of yourselves, a pair of _drunkards_ passing out together as if you were in a _sorority_!"

From the bed came Catalonia's mumbled retort, "I prefer the term, '_lesbian'_."

"Disgusting," the Chinese Preventer agent muttered, refusing to turn back around. "Now be quick about it, _Vice Foreign Minster,_ and get some _clothes_ on!"

A shuffling noise was heard over his right shoulder, and then Relena told him, "I am, I am, just let me—_wha!_" A clattering sounded, and a _whump _of something hitting the closet door hard, and Wu Fei spun, crouching into a defensive stance.

Seeing the fair-haired Minster sprawled on the floor and holding her head in one hand and her hip in the other, Wu Fei sighed, then stepped over to her. "Relena," he muttered under his breath as she moaned. Crouching next to her, the young man asked, timbre calm, "Are you alright?"

"Oww, dammit." Glaring up at him with pained eyes, the disheveled girl moaned, "No, my hip hurts. But I'm fine." She began to struggle to get up, however it only resulted in her stumbling to the floor again. She hardly appearing the noble Vice Foreign Minster wearing only a bra and panties and her hair a messy tangle of gold.

Dark eyes immediately concerned, Wu Fei grunted under his breath then bent to shove his hands under her armpits again. The Preventer pulled Relena to her feet, wrapping an arm under hers and around her bare back. With his other hand, he opened the closet door, holding her up as she leaned against him. "Are you sure that you're alright?" he asked her quietly.

Nodding and biting her lip, the blonde clung to him, hurt-filled cerulean orbs staring up into his eyes. "I'm fine, I'm more . . ." Paling a bit, she winced, ". . . dizzy, and my head . . . God, it really aches."

"Of course," he mused with a dry tone as they entered the closet – ignoring the baleful glare her mother was sending him, "you've got a hang-over, woman. What do you expect?"

With a _humph,_ Relena glowered at him, agony like blue shards in her gaze, then pulled away. "I can dress myself just fine," she growled, then yelped as she dropped like a stone to the floor of the walk-in closet.

"Of course you can." Looking down at her with a dour expression, one side of his mouth upturned an almost imperceptible amount, the Chinese teen asked her, "So, what do you want to wear? You're hardly able to stand enough to get your clothes from the rack."

Suddenly, movement was behind him, and he glanced back to see Mrs. Dorlan standing behind him, her face immediately severe. "Wu Fei, I'll help her. You shouldn't be so intimate with my daughter!"

"There is nothing intimate about my helping the _drunk_ Vice Foreign Minster get to her _clothes closet_," he told her calmly, voice dry and a bit smug.

Glaring with obvious upset desperation, the taller woman said, "Leave, let me help her! You shouldn't even be seeing her in this state, she's barely clothed!"

"Madam," Wu Fei stressed, eyes snapping a bit now that he was being so pressed, "please remove yourself. She is running very _LATE_ to her _own staff meeting,_" his voice deepened in tightly controlled rage, " and _you_, Madam, are not her bodyguard nor do you understand the importance of her _timeliness._"

Feeling a bit of satisfaction from the shocked look on the woman's face, the Asian man continued, "Correct me if I am wrong, but as her bodyguard, it seems that I have also come to hold the title of her personal assistant, and we," he spat, looking around the closet and grabbing a random outfit, "must be going, _now,_ to her _nine-thirty A. M. staff meeting_, for which she is _LATE._"

Pausing, Wu Fei continued more coolly, "Vice Foreign Minster, put this on." He looked down at the miserable girl and shoved the dress at her. "We're leaving."

"But," Relena sputtered from the floor, "it's a sundress! I haven't worn this in almost six months, you can't make me wear this! And it's baby-pink, it goes against the new image I'm trying to portray! It makes me look like a child and-"

"Put it on _NOW_," Wu Fei ordered, face flushing slightly from rage.

The girl winced and held the pink dress to her head, as no doubt it was throbbing again, then muttered, "Okay, okay . . ."

Calming swiftly from habitual experience with the stubborn girl, the dark-haired agent nodded and asked – to the horror of Mrs. Dorlan, "Do you need help getting dressed?"

"Absolutely NOT!" exclaimed the older woman, pushing forward to stand between them. "You are _not_ going to help my daughter get dressed."

From the floor, the Minster commanded, "I can _dress MYSELF_."

Blinking, her mother quieted, and Wu Fei gazed down at her, pleased with the suddenly firm tone to the young woman's voice. "Fine. I'll be waiting for you downstairs. We both will."

Nodding her head and brushing a hand through the wheat-colored strands of her messy hair, Relena added, "Dorothy will help me downstairs. Won't you, Dorothy," she called out, wincing still from the volume.

A yawn sounded, and then a high-soprano voice returned, "Of course, Miss Relena. We'll both get dressed," the taller girl continued brightly from behind the lilac canopy, "and meet your little bodyguard downstairs."

Rolling his eyes slightly at the smugness in Dorothy's voice, Wu Fei frowned at Mrs. Dorlan and headed from the closet. "Come, Madam. Oh, and Relena . . . Your brother is downstairs, along with his wife. Don't keep them waiting also."

Blinking, the half-nude girl sitting cross-legged on the floor nodded to him, surprise turning to guilt that washed over her face. "Oh, Wu Fei, I'm so sorry!" she called after him, voice jerking as she was obviously rushing to dress. "I'll be down right away!"

Heading toward the door of her bedroom, the older woman at his heels, Wu Fei remained silent. Instead of speaking, he opened the door for them both, gaze focused straight ahead once again as they headed down the hallway.

Behind him, Relena's mother appeared subdued. Finally, she said, "I'm sorry I was so upset, Wu Fei."

The agent didn't look at her as he headed for the stairs. The woman couldn't have helped her thoughtlessness when the matter turned to her daughter being unclothed with a man, alone. "No need to apologize, Madam. We are both doing our jobs." The idea was amusing, though he didn't show it.

"Of course," she spoke, voice hushed. "And, Wu Fei . . . my condolences."

He nodded, frowning at the walls that passed around them, and declined to reply.

(-(-(-)-)-)

Earth, Moscow  
April 14th – 5:09 am

As Heero briskly walked along the hallways and corridors of the hotel, he ignored the elevators he passed and headed instead for the stairwell: a habitual utilization of any available physical exertion. With only a bit of a pause, he pulled open the door to the stairs and stepped out onto one of the metal landings – then looked up at the sound of a clanging footstep on the flight of steps above him.

With a shocked expression filling his violet eyes, Duo stood, halted, upon the stairs to Heero's right, one foot slightly extended as if just about to take another step. His long hair hung loose behind him, damp and dripping slightly.

The stoic ex-terrorist simply gazed up as the other boy winced and muttered, "I'll just . . . go back upstairs." Looking away quickly, Duo turned around and began to tramp back up the steps, boot-steps ringing jarringly on the metal and echoing through the stairwell.

"Duo." Heero's voice reverberated in the quiet, and the footsteps stopped, the auburn-haired teen pausing on the steps above and still facing away, though Heero could see the tensing of his shoulders in the faint illumination of the stairwell lights.

"Hey," Duo finally broke the silence, soft words given a tinny resonance in the chamber, "it's okay. I didn't wanna go downstairs that badly."

Waiting a beat, Heero walked further across the landing, then turned to stare up at Duo. "Are you always this irritable in the morning?"

With a sigh, the teenager above him turned and glared down at him, arms crossing and amethyst eyes virtually crackling with rage. "It's not morning; morning is when people get _up_ and eat breakfast. It's five _freaking_ A.M., everyone is asleep."

Heero nodded, unaffected. "You're not."

A scowl crossed Duo's surprised face and he spat, "What's it to you, anyways? I'm just an annoyance to you; let's leave it at that. We'll both sleep easier."

One dark brow rose above Heero's piercing gaze, navy-blue eyes unwavering.

"You're right. You are quite annoying."

"See?" the pilot above him glowered, teeth practically bared, "just like I sai-"

"That being the case," Heero cut him off, "why not be an annoyance to me outside." With that, he turned and began walking at a strong pace down the stairs, filling the air with the clang of his feet on the steps.

"What?!" As expected, behind him began the sound of a second pair of feet on the metal plates.

Clearing another landing and continuing down the flight of stairs, the dark-haired boy replied, "I said, 'why not be an annoyance to me outside'," he repeated, tone flat.

"_Yes_," the young man behind him returned tartly, "I heard _that_. What I wanna know is, _why_?"

Allowing himself a ghost of a smile at Duo's atypical anger, Heero told him, still facing forward, "Standing in a stairwell is an imprudent allocation of time. In forty-three minutes and four seconds, the sun will rise. Concrete stairwells without windows are somewhat lacking in transparency."

For a split second, they walked in quiet, the echoing metal reverberating off the walls. Then Duo said, scornful voice sounding slightly uneasy, "Well, _duh._ But why do you wanna see the sun rise _anyways_?"

They passed another floor, and Heero kept his eyes on the dimly lit stairway. "I've never missed a sunrise before," he spoke casually. "I'm not about to start now."

The two continued their trek down the stairs, thrust into a stunned silence that gradually became a comfortable hush . . . the only sound being the ringing of steel . . . a chorus like a dozen bells.


	8. Chapter 8

Hey, everyone

Many apologies for being so late! Life has been putting us through the wringer the past year, but we are back on track and here with another update! Full throttle! and stuff . . .

on to reviews:

**Eanshi-Hui**: Thank you so much for your praise! We are glad that we're in-depth. We try. We actually hate those stereotypes you mentioned. As to the flamer, we think the flamer is incorrect. We disagree with the broad idea of "it's fanfiction, so do what you want" (and we have a feeling you do as well, from your comments). It's true that in fanfiction, everyone has their own ways of dissecting and reading the characters. However, that only leaves a small margin for error. There has to be an attempt to study the characters, and people like that Flamer don't bother to really take a deep look. They are just like the people you mentioned who assume that Relena is a stalker, or Heero is a robot, or Duo is a hyper-active moron who can't tie his own shoes. The characters are great ones, and we feel that this means they deserve the respect of being studied. Kudos to you for doing that yourself and seeing them for the complex personalities that they are! We're glad to have another person on our side. LOL.

**Genkai Lady**: No problem! We also feel that while Duo is a well-loved character, people don't seem inclined to really dig in deep with his personality and background. But that's important, because that's what made him the way he is. In a lot of ways, his cliche is one that fangirls adore, but it's still a cliche. No one is perfect, and we think that they don't want to see Duo as anything but perfect. This adoration may be cute and funny, but in fanfiction it's a fatal flaw in logic and thus, writing. An author can't write for Duo if they only see the outside, not the inside.

As to Wu Fei and Relena, we're glad you liked it, and there is another scene wit them in the following chapter. Hope it's just as interesting! Thanks for sticking with us, and we're over-joyed to have another intelligent person on board!

**Hououza**: I think everyone has self-worth issues. It's more difficult when you actually have done bad things and you need to get past them. What alot of people forget (intentionally, we think) but something you caught (we believe), is that Duo really did kill a great many people. And he's only a teenager. Not all of these people were soldiers, some of them were technicians, mechanics, civilians. Casualties of war, but he still killed them, and what's worse, he enjoyed doing it. He liked being the God of Death. Getting past something like that will take a long time.

Heero will be dealing with his humanity in this fanfic heavily. It will probably take a long time for him as well. LOL, the Relena and Dorothy scene was just a bit of fun. And we all know Dorothy will do anything to get a reaction. She always seemed to like making people squirm and getting their attention. If she can't find chaos (like she did in the series,) we figured she'd make her own. Thanks and we love your review and you!

**Kamineko**: The Relena we have is more mature because this is set 4 months after the end of the movie. As to Heero and Duo, you'll see that there is a reason that they've gotten back on poor terms with each other in this chapter. (CEP: it's so sad that everyone things we're missing things but they're all things we've thought about and prepared for. TRUST US!) As to Heero's nuances growing, we're not sure how much more we could do without slipping out of character. Heero will grow slowly with everyone else, and it's hard to dig much deeper into his characterisation.

As to Episode 0, we don't believe in it at all. While we own it, we don't rely on it whatsoever. It's written by a man (Katsuyuki Sumisawa) who only worked on the scripts and screenplay of the series, but was not the only one doing so. Thus, having him write a manga without anyone editing it to make sure it matched the series makes it come out as a much different story - with a lesser quality. Because of this, it contradicts characterizations shown in the series, not to mention contradicting the science and common sense of the series.

In the case of Heero liking luxury, I think you're not thinking outside the box. He was living on the streets in our fanfic for months. It's ridiculous to call a hotel room and a pair of clean clothes "luxury". The mahogany table was something he noticed. He noted that they had been put in a conference room without the normal niceties, and he realized that this meant that the Preventers had less resources than they usually did. Heero's ideas of luxury are being clothed, fed, and clean. Re-read it, and I'm sure you'll see this.

Heero's job possibilities are another problem you seem to have missed. He can't become a doctor without a high school diploma, and then a college education. His IQ has nothing to do with it. Neither does shyness. It's just a plain fact. There are many people in the world who are brilliant, but still homeless and jobless because of a lack of proper education. As we've already shown, Heero can't get a GED because he has no Social Security Number. He has no identity. It shows, in the series, Heero hacking into a school network. If he had a foolproof ID, he wouldn't need to. And he can't hack into every computer system across the Earth Sphere. It wouldn't fly. Someone, somewhere, would catch onto him, and he would be incarcerated for identity fraud, hacking, and illegal access to federal databases. Crimes that could land him in prison for many years. Being incarcerated isn't much good if he wants to be a doctor. Don't forget, if you do absolutely nothing, your name goes through 11 computers a day. And that's just right now. In GW, which takes place many years from now, I'm sure the number increases significantly.

And finally, as to Duo being attached to Hilde and Heero . . . give it time. Don't forget, they haven't even gotten to high school yet, and it will be a few more in-story days before they do. There is plenty of time for Duo to spend time with other characters.

Thanks for the review and sorry if we sound harsh - we're only trying to show you the reasonings we used to write what we've written.

**C-chuu**: Yea! Thanks, plausibility is our number 1 goal! And the guys ARE on a mission, bwa ha ha. They just don't know what it is . . . You are the only one who's really grasped the sense of mystery and suspense. There's something going on. We just wish more readers saw this and felt it as you have. We do our best, thanks for the praise! We love situational humor too, and it's really the best humor for GW. The characters are all so serious, even Duo. They don't often do funny things of their own accord.

And yes, you are right, Duo's character is often overlooked when it comes to depth and reality. People want Duo to be jolly and wonderful and have no psychological problems. They also want him to still call himself the God of Death, or they want him to never think about it and become a model father and sing gospel songs. They need to get a clue. Duo is just as messed up in the head as Heero, if not more so. Thanks for the support! And Trowa, towards the end of the series, he really started to seem more stoic yet serene, an interesting change. He's like a Jedi, so we kinda write him that way.

We're glad you like it and approve of it - high praise coming from someone as smart as you! We miss you a lot and hopefully another MUSH will be a good meeting place for us. And we are so touched that you feel that ours is how good fanfiction should be. We arrogantly agree.

**EclipsedbytheSon**: OKAY! Wow, another smart person! We love you! More people need to use their brains when it comes to characterization. Sorry we've been so late, I hope this is good for you!

**Wing**: Duo was hurt from more than Heero, as we had hoped would be shown from the shower scene. And there are more things in this chapter. The next chapter will reveal why it is so important for Relena to not be a pain this day. Hopefully school will arrive soon, but no way to tell that yet!

**Lachwen & Moonjava**: Thanks, we hope this pleases! (CEP: Sure, no prob.)

**Rikku Urashima**: Yea! Well, it's hard to pick genres, there is so much in our fic! Just like life. Aw, you make us all warm and fuzzy. We will continue to try to be the creme-de-la-creme of fanfiction.

Pam: THIS IS!

* * *

**Chapter 8**

Earth, Izumo  
April 14th – 9:59 am

"It's such a beautiful morning, isn't it Miss Relena?"

Relena rubbed her temples harder as she clattered down the stairs, trailing the bright-eyed and vibrant Catalonia behind her. Not dignifying the comment with a response, the shorter blonde grated back, "How can you be so cheerful? Don't you have a hangover from last night?"

Blinking as they reached the bottom step, Dorothy pouted and spun after her down the hallway. "Not really. I must just be lucky!"

Praying for the medication she took to finally take effect, the Minister looked up to find everyone waiting for her in the smaller dining room. "Wonderful for you, Dorothy." She forced a smile for them all and entered quickly, sitting down almost too fast in the seat pulled back for her.

Silence descended as the cook swiftly set an omelet with toast in front of her on the table. Sitting up straighter in his chair, the Chinese bodyguard was the first to break the quiet, smirking, "Welcome back to the land of the living. Did you have fun last night?"

Flushing, Relena glanced up to see her brother staring at her stoically from the other side of the table. "Yes," she murmured, azure eyes flashing from Milliardo to Wu Fei. "I did." Out of the corner of her eye she could see Dorothy behind her, yawning as she flounced into a seat.

"Oh," the dark-haired woman next to her brother drawled, "let her eat. You'll have plenty of time to bother her later." Lucrezia gifted Relena with a forgiving smile and elbowed her husband. "Let her live a little, will you? No harm done."

With a snort, Milliardo's eyes narrowed on his handsome face and he turned the glare onto the brunette. "As you said, we'll talk about it later. Now isn't the time."

Guilt washed over the girl as she continued to eat as quickly as she could manage. _This just isn't fair. But I shouldn't be quarreling with him, especially not today._

Seeing Relena's downcast face, Wu Fei's smile fell and his mouth twisted into an expression of exasperated regret. He leaned back in his chair, arms crossing over his brown Preventer's jacket, and glanced over at Milliardo, then turned his attention toward the quietly beaming Catalonia. "So, Miss Dorothy. Would you like me to see you out?" he asked calmly, suspicious nature bristling beneath his veneer.

All eyes turned to her toward where she leaned languidly back in her chair, and she shook her head, chuckling lightly. "Oh, no. I was intending on coming along. After all, I _am_ here. Why bother leaving and then meeting you all later? And this way I and Mister Milliardo can catch up on things." Dorothy turned her bright eyes to Zechs and fluttered her eyelashes. "It's been so long since we've chatted."

The strangeness of the silence that followed, and the coy surety in her eyes coupled with the cold expression on Milliardo's features caused Wu Fei to frown, ebony glance quickly taking in their body languages. _Something is going on here with Lady Catalonia, _ he told himself. _Perhaps she is extending her machinations beyond her sphere of influence again. I'm going to have to watch out for her and her tricks._

Relena, however, appeared not to notice any of it, her sad eyes on her food as she shoveled it into her mouth with an expression akin to someone taking distasteful medicine. The Chinese boy was certain that the food held as much flavor as that which could be found in a gourmet restaurant, but a hangover and her brother's ire couldn't have whetted an appetite.

Plate clean, the Minister stood with a suddenness that surprised her friends and family, but one her bodyguard took in stride, rising with her. The girl's commanding azure gaze flew over them all, and she announced, "Well then. I'm late enough as it is, and we have a jet to catch. If you're all going with me to Tokyo, you'd better get into the limousine."

A bubbly smile on her face, Dorothy chortled, "Why, of course!" and began heading for the door, the platinum-blond man following with a stony glare shooting at everyone he passed. Noin lagged behind to give Relena a worried, kind expression before she too strode after her husband, leaving the maid to pick up the dishes while Relena looked after them, straightening her shell-pink sundress uncertainly.

Stepping around the table as quickly as his grace allowed in the cluttered room – after all, he didn't want to risk knocking over some expensive trinket of her mother's – Wu Fei came to stand next to her. "Relena. Time to go. Are you alright?" He frowned with concern and stared directly into her eyes, daring her to avoid him.

She took a final look at the door, then flicked her gaze to his dark one, and graced him with a small smile before she grabbed her bag and began walking toward the hall. "Of course. Last night just took a lot out of me."

Right on her heels, the teen shook his head and straightened his jacket. "You'll forgive me, Minister, if I think there might be more on your mind than being tired or hung-over." He raised a brow at her, and was rewarded with her coloring as she glanced away.

"Maybe." As they passed into the foyer and headed for the door, she admitted, "I accepted William's offer to go to school with him. Has Quatre told you yet?"

Nodding, the dark-haired boy opened the front door for her and watched her closely as they walked down the steps, his peripheral vision diligently studying their surroundings. "He has. I assume I'm to go with you."

Smiling shyly, Relena nodded to him, her deep blue eyes wide and innocent as she watched him. "I hope you don't mind. I know being my bodyguard must be unimaginably boring."

He shook his head, eyes catching on her own for a moment, as they both stopped together a few yards from the white limousine waiting in the drive. "No. I don't mind." _You bastard, Heero Yui,_ he thought, his throat constricting as her eyes lit up and relief flowed across her features.

"Thank you, Wu Fei," Relena beamed happily up at him as she put a hand on his shoulder. "It really means a lot to me. I always feel safer with you around."

Wu Fei nodded and cast his gaze to the side, frowning as a deep flush flooded his cheeks. "Let's go. You're still late, woman."

As they walked to the car, he fell behind a few paces, the desires to watch her and to avoiding looking at her warring with each other. _How can you live with yourself knowing she still pines after you, Heero? She will never have true happiness as long as she thinks that you might return her feelings._

Wu Fei scowled up into the blue summer sky before following her to the car, nodding absently to the man holding the door before taking his place on Relena's other side in the spacious automobile. Once seated, he glared down, avoiding his superiors across from him and the Catalonia wench on the other side of his charge, and most of all avoiding the Minister herself.

But his troubled mind still worried over her.

_Is it safe to let them be brought together? She is so much more than a princess for peace. She is a fragile flower, innocent and pure and far too easily used as a tool. She may be the only way to keep peace alive, as a symbol to the people._

_But the personal cost is great. _

Hundreds of times had these thoughts gone through his head, but the situation was different now. If they brought Relena and Heero together, even in a controlled environment such as a high school, it would change her life forever.

It could be the most volatile and risky thing they could do, but it could also finally free the Minister from her greatest burden – the man who would not return her love.

Brooding as the automobile purred along its route, Wu Fei barely registered the uncomfortable silence within the interior. Trees and lush landscape flew passed the undarkened windows, but his mind remained locked onto his dilemma.

_I'll make her happy,_ Wu Fei swore to himself. _No matter how much pain it brings her in the short term, she ought to be freed from the demons from her past._

_It's the least that she deserves for the blessing of peace she has brought us all._

(-(-(-)-)-)

Earth, Moscow  
April 14th – 5:15 am

The dream, and the fear, still clung to him like a thick shroud, and he could almost feel the stench of death clutching at him – if he didn't know better, he would swear the sour smell had caught in his nostrils.

Duo glanced up into the darkened skies as he followed Heero through the abandoned streets of Moscow, and shivered in the chill morning air, the hairs on the back of his neck extending. He felt as if someone was watching him . . . and every time he closed his eyes, those glowing red embers stared back.

Telling himself that none of the sensations were real, the long-haired boy forced his fear away, and instead concentrated his anger, and his eyes, on Heero's well-dressed back . . . determined not to close them again until he only saw black. _Well, Mister Congeniality sure is taking advantage of the situation, _he told himself, eyes darkening as he forced a glare. _I bet he's just going to take the diploma and run, the bastard. Unforgiving prick just takes advantage of everyone . . . then leaves us all to rot._

The streetlights across the city glowed in clusters, and a lone car drove past them, headlights blazing through the darkness before it slipped away down the street. "Where are we going, anyways?" Duo grumbled, shuffling his feet behind the dark-haired pilot.

Heero turned to glance back at him, and Duo put as much hatred as he could into the glare he returned. "We're headed for the river." He brought his gaze forward again as he strode down the cobblestone streets, apparently undaunted.

Duo grumbled as he hurried after the quicker boy, swinging around an old-fashioned lamppost with one hand before glancing up at the glowing ball of light, a swarm of fluttering moths dancing around it. _This has to be one of the strangest nights of my life._ As they passed, the insects slowly dropped, one by one, to the ground, fluttering uselessly before they stilled.

His heartbeat danced in his ears softly as the silence lingered, his eyes returning to Heero's back ever-so-often. When Duo was finally convinced that no words would ever be spoken, after walking through and across side-streets and ancient sections of the city, the spires of churches highlighted against the slowly illuminated grayness . . . Heero finally slowed at the steps down to an area lush with vegetation; a path and landscaping that stretched to the left and right until vanishing around bends. And in front of them sat the glittering, shimmering river, faint light of the moon shining from the dark depths.

The other pilot glanced over to him, his Prussian stare calm, almost serene . . . not normal for Heero.

"Well?" Duo finally said, trying to sound angry. His word just came out tired, though, and he sighed, glowering down at the plants at his feet. "You couldn't have just asked me out here to watch the sunrise with you. That's a little too gay for me, man."

Those eyes widened, and then Heero snorted, his mouth actually turning up into a semblance of a smile, before he looked back out over the slowly flowing river. "Shut up, Duo," he said, voice almost – sort of – soft. "If you don't stop talking about buying me flowers and being gay, I'm going to wonder if you are."

(-(-(-)-)-)

Heero headed down the stone steps, a stunned Duo left in his wake. _This is becoming amusing, _ the normally stoic young man mused, one brow rising on his forehead. "You coming?" he called back, tone flat and only vaguely curious, before he began strolling along the river-walk.

"Dude," Duo quickly clomped down the steps after him, skipping two at a time, "I am NOT gay." As Heero watched, the boy pulled his still-dripping hair forward and yanked up the ends, a brush appearing like magic in his hands, before he began tugging it through the ends. "_You're_ the one who wanted me to go with you."

With the petulant, angry look in his violet eyes, Heero could now see what he had missed before. There was something very familiar in the uncertainty that lay in his gaze . . . but Heero couldn't place it just yet. Still, it appeared that Hilde was right. Duo, for whatever reason, seemed to seriously concern himself with Heero's opinion.

Slipping his hands into the pockets of his gray slacks, Heero's head fell, and he gazed at the concrete path he walked upon, thinking. His unruly bangs drooped over his eyes, and through them, the world seemed darker. _Now what? _he wondered, an odd tightness growing in his chest. _I have absolutely no experience in befriending people._

Which made Heero have to wonder, why on earth did so many people seek him out and attempt to befriend him? To him, half a dozen was a large number when referencing that. The idea that anyone would see him as anything other than a weapon or a tool . . . it just didn't make sense.

But it gave him a feeling of freedom that he was rather unfamiliar with.

The tension flickered, and a vague memory of the past returned to him. He hadn't felt this sensation often, but the few times he had, he would never forget. Looking back to the teen following behind him, he recognized the flickering uncertainty in his gaze as well. _I guess we're both afraid._

This time together – the things that were about to occur, and the feelings associated with it, and them – were things neither of them were accustomed to.

They were orphans. Both had never known a real family . . . Heero wasn't even sure if either of them had ever even known peace or the ability to choose. To truly, completely, choose their destinies.

Calm filled Heero once again, a calm he had always been able to call upon in the worst of times. It was just another step, he knew. And it was the right one. But as he stopped, and gazed out over the waters, up toward the growing brightness of the horizon, he absently wondered how he was supposed to take it.

(-(-(-)-)-)

Duo glared up at the glowing sky and watched as the golden light spilled out across them, throwing faint shadows across the landscape. Finding it difficult to stay mad at the coming sun, he turned his rage-filled eyes to his companion.

"So," Duo drawled tightly, still brushing through the lengths of his auburn hair, "here we are. The sun is almost up, and we're both still awake when we're supposed to be asleep. Are we finally gonna get to the _point_ of this little escapade?"

With another sigh, Heero just sent him an annoyed glance. "The point is watching the sun rise. To do that, you have to be quiet."

"Well excuse me!" the brunet snapped, violet eyes narrowing angrily as he tossed the brush into the air, making it vanish again. "But I'm getting a little _sick_ and _tired_ of this – this whole 'mystery' outing of yours. I don't buy what you're selling, buddy. There's a reason you asked me to come along, and it's obviously not to actually _talk_ to me like a _normal _person!"

On a roll, Duo didn't even notice the sun popping up over the horizon in a bright glow until Heero snapped, "Quiet," and he saw the stark shadows and light fall across the obstinate pilot's face.

"Jesus," Duo muttered, wringing out his newly combed hair again before tossing it over his shoulder and staring up at the sunrise once more. "I don't think I can take much more of your _crap_, Heero," he raised a finger menacingly, voice rising in warning.

"You took it before," came the unassuming baritone reply, and Duo flinched in surprise, then glanced over to watch the other boy as he gazed at the sun. "I don't really see what the difference is now."

Put off by this, Duo frowned, then shrugged and stuffed his hands into his jean pockets. "I donno'. Maybe I'm tired of being your punching bag. Ever think of joining a martial arts dojo, man? You wanna kick somebody's ass, go do that."

Silence followed for a few moments, until Heero's dry voice said, "You might want to try being less annoying."

Mouth quirking with annoyance, the long-haired teen snapped, "You are _such_ a dick. _Dee. I_. _Cee_. _Kay_."

"Takes one to know one."

Narrowing his eyes, Duo raised an index finger, and was about to retort, when he stopped. "Heero, what the _fuck_ has gotten into you? I think this is the most worthless chit-chat I've ever heard outta you. Hell, this is more than I think _anybody _has heard outta you. _Ever_."

For a moment, Duo wasn't sure what Heero was going to say. The cocoa-haired teenager looked at him solidly, almost stared. It was enough that he wondered if he had managed to surprise the other boy.

Then Heero glanced aside, and reached into his back pocket, taking out a carefully folded white piece of paper. "Here," he told him, slowly holding it up and out to him. "I'm not good at talking." And as Duo took it, Heero turned his head away to watch the rising sun again.

_Oookay,_ Duo mused nervously, frowning down at the paper before beginning to unfold it. "This ain't no love letter, is it? Because I'm gonna have to kick your ass if it is." A mock-shiver ran down his back and he tried to make light of the situation.

Heero simply glared at him. "You _are_ gay, _aren't_ you."

Just as he was about to retort, Duo's eyes dropped to the name scrawled across the envelope, and a gnawing fear started quaking through his ribcage.

_Aw, shit. God DAMN stupid . . . _ Duo forced himself to quell the series of curses he wanted to dish out onto the girl in question. _Well, no way I could mistake _that_ chicken-scratch for anyone else's. God _dammit_, Hilde . . ._

The fear closed up his esophagus as he opened it and pulled out the paper, swallowing against the pressure. _Please tell me there is no way this day could get any worse,_ he begged before beginning to read.

After just a few lines, he knew his prayer had gone unanswered.

_Figures,_ he told himself as his skin began to get clammy, _there's only one god in this world._

_Might as well pray to myself._

(-(-(-)-)-)

Heero watched Duo as he scanned the note first, flipping it over to the back with thinly disguised horror before returning to the front to read more slowly a second time. _I hope this doesn't take all morning, _he grumbled to himself, politely refraining from demanding that Duo finish studying the letter after the second run.

Finally, after the long-haired boy turned at least three shades of white and a collection of seconds when Heero wondered if he would need to sit down, Duo glanced furtively back up at him, a wane, wincing smile on his face. "Umm." Coughing, he began, "Wow, Hilde sure does overreact, doesn't she? Heh, heh . . ."

Giving him a stern glare, Heero slowly crossed his arms over his chest. "You're a horrible liar."

Duo sighed, one brow rising as he realized Heero wasn't convinced. Ducking his head, his messy bangs barely concealed the anxiety growing within his eyes.

Annoyed, Heero turned his gaze from him, feeling a bit too familiar with the other pilot himself. "She really cares about you. You should feel lucky to have someone like her trying to help you."

The other pilot nodded, looking a bit less worried. "Yeah."

Staring out over the water, the two were silent a moment before Heero spoke again. "You've been living together for a year and a half. That's a pretty long time."

Confused, Duo looked over at Heero and shrugged. "What's your point?"

The short-haired boy snorted with amusement. "I can't believe you're still just friends. It doesn't seem like you."

"Oh, shut-up man," he glared back, "what do you know? Mister 'tragic romance'." Crossing his arms, he turned his head away petulantly.

Exhaling, Heero slipped his hands into his pockets again and looked flatly into the river water. "My situation hardly compares with yours. You live together. You're practically married as it is. In some countries you can get tax breaks."

Duo grumbled and shot him a violet glare from the corner of his eye. "Listen, there is nothing going on between us any more than there's something between you and the Princess."

Silence was the only reply as Duo's expression blackened with frustrated rage. "You think I haven't _thought_ about it?" the long-haired boy hissed, turning fully to glower at his companion. "What kind of husband would I _make_, Heero? A murderer, a terrorist – hell, I don't even classify as sane. I'm _damaged goods_, and you know it." With a sigh, the teen bleakly tossed his gaze out onto the glittering river, anger leeching out of him until nothing was left but the tired slump of his shoulders. "I couldn't condemn any woman to that horrible fate."

In the quiet that was left, Heero nodded slowly, Prussian eyes still locked onto the rushing water and the blossoming sunrise above them. "I understand."

"Do you?" Duo asked, voice lacking the harshness from before. "I mean . . . I know you haven't been to see Relena since . . . y'know." At Heero's surprised glance, he amended, "Well, Hilde and Relena talk quite a bit, now. Ever since the, um . . . the wedding." Guiltily, Duo looked away and winced. "You can't tell me she doesn't mean something to ya, man."

Heero's dark head bobbed once, and he sighed. "I'd be lying if I did. But you're right. It's best this way. Some day Relena is going to realize that she doesn't need me in her life. Her happiness doesn't lie with me."

"No way, man!" Duo suddenly announced, steady eyes locking onto Heero like a vice. "Listen, you deserve some happiness, you guys are made for each other. Don't follow my lead just 'cause it sounds right. I'm different. There's no reason that you can't have a normal life."

"That's not the life for me," Heero quietly replied. "I shouldn't even entertain the notion. At least you understand your emotions, Duo. I'm more 'damaged goods' than you'll ever be."

Angry violet eyes met blue and Duo cursed, tossing his head away. "Heero, you're a _damned_ fool. I have more psychological problems than you can count on both hands. All I've ever known is being a criminal. I couldn't raise a family! Hell, Hilde doesn't even _think_ of me that way. But Relena would do anything for you if you let her."

"She doesn't understand," Heero informed him tersely. "Eventually she will. But until she does, I can't give her false hope." He looked away once more, expression clouded. "For all the faults that you think you have, at least you have one thing you can know to be true." Closing his eyes, the pilot let out his breath slowly. "You're actually human. You were born, not built. You grew up . . . you weren't implanted with data like a computer." When Duo simply gaped, no retort at hand, Heero shot him a quick look. "Lead a good life, Duo. Follow your feelings and let her know what you feel."

"What about you?" the boy asked, brows furrowed with concern.

Heero shook his head and turned to head back down the path, toward the way they had come. "I can't live a 'good life without regrets'. No matter what you might think, that's one thing I _don't_ deserve. I'm a soldier. It's what I was created to be. And I'm not going to ruin her life by trying to be anything else."

Taking his place behind him, Duo strolled after, sighing. "I guess we're both just too stubborn, huh."

"Guess so," Heero smirked darkly, tossing a look back at him.

Gazing up at the sun where it was rising further into the sky, wispy clouds of salmon and gold spun around it, the long-haired boy shook his head, a memory resurfacing at that moment. "Hey, Heero?" The teen next to him grunted, and Duo swallowed before continuing. "I'm really sorry about . . . what happened at the wedding."

Heero shook his head. "You were drunk, Duo. You're normally rather . . . effervescent – alcohol merely increases the effect."

Shooting him a glare, Duo muttered, "I'm not gay . . . But anyway, Relena was really sad that she didn't get to dance with you."

With a sigh, Heero headed up the steps sprawling among the foliage. "I didn't say you were gay."

"No, but you _insinuated_ it," Duo stressed, words snapping and a wounded look on his face. "And I know exactly why you did. You just want to avoid talking about Relena."

Heero led his companion onto the street, newly bustling with early morning activity. "There's nothing to talk about," he murmured, eyes scanning the scattered people carefully.

"Oh yes there is. Relena was _sooo_ sad after you left," Duo sighed melodramatically, making his comb reappear magically in his hand once more. Shaking his head, he pointed at Heero with the instrument, "She _cried,_ do you know that?"

Glaring back at the long-haired boy - who was once again brushing out the ends of his hair – Heero snapped, "She was _not_ sad. Relena doesn't cry in public."

"Oh, no, she didn't cry in public, I mean, I didn't _see_ her cry," the teen continued, combing the thick, damp plaits of hair into smooth, shiny locks, "but I could sure imagine it." His voice dropped sorrowfully, the twang forcefully reasserting itself. "All alone. Takin' off her makeup by herself, cryin' into her mirror, no one but her butler there to comfort her. Which," he waved the comb at Heero meaningfully, "is _really_ disturbing. To think that Pagan is her _best friend_. That girl needs to get out more. I mean, it's kinda creepy, that old guy hangin' out with a little girl."

Heero swung around suddenly and came to an abrupt halt, leaving Duo to stumble over his own feet and hold his arms out to steady himself. "Whoa, man, what's the problem?" the thief exclaimed.

Prussian eyes stabbing straight through him, Heero snarled, "That's far from the truth. If anyone is her _best friend, _ it's _Quatre._" With a final growl, he turned his back to Duo again and began stomping across an intersection.

"Wait up, Heero!" Duo called after, weaving his way through the crowd to keep up. "What do you mean? Is this why you were so bitchy around Quatre yesterday?"

Grumbling under his breath, Heero pushed aside a surprised pair of older men, then grabbed Duo's arm to pull him into a corner store. "Here. I'm certain that you're as far from society as possible so this must have evaded you," he hissed, dragging the youth to a halt in front of a wall lined with magazines. "There," he pointed to a group, eyes hard. "I'm sure you can't miss it."

Leaning over and flushing from the scrutiny they were receiving from the other patrons, Duo blinked as his eyes fell across a certain publication. Grabbing it up, he shook his head. "Jeeze, this is horrible!"

"Yes, I know," rumbled Heero as he crossed his arms tightly over the green dress-shirt. Turning his back on the rack, he leaned against the wall it lined, taut with repressed rage.

"I mean, I've never _seen_ such a hatchet photo-job!" continued his companion, jabbing a finger at a certain part. "Look at this. This isn't even Quatre's body, they stuck his head onto somebody else's."

"How can you tell?" Heero frowned, staring closer at the image. "It seems like a pretty good fake to me."

"Dude, look at this! Since when does Quatre have _breasts_?"

Eyes narrowing further, the stoic young man leaned a bit closer to stare at the picture. "I don't see any breasts. It looks like a man to me."

Laughing, Duo snatched the magazine away, "Ha-ha, made'ja look! Heero, you are _so _hard up for breasts that you're lookin' for 'em on another _guy_!"

"I am NOT," Heero grunted, glowering once more. "You're just being a fool again."

"Right, right," handing over the magazine and raising his hands, Duo nodded, "so, you think Quatre's mackin' on your girl. Well I hate to say it, but it's just a rag. It's a crappy, fake magazine. Look at what's next to 'em. 'Alien Sheep Demand Surrender From Earth Sphere President and Insist that all Big Foot Prostitutes _Service _Them For a Year'. Does that sound _real_ to _you_?"

An auburn brow rising above his suddenly serious gaze, Duo shook his head. "Let it go, buddy. It's not worth it. And even if Quatre _does_ feel anything for her, she likes you best. And you said yourself that you don't _want_ her to, so you shouldn't be upset."

A low rumble began in Heero's chest and he glared at his friend. "I'm not mad that Quatre might like her . . . I'm mad because," his dark blue eyes slid away from Duo's, "they're making her out to be promiscuous."

"Now who's a horrible liar?" Duo grinned, then shook his head, hair splaying around him like a long cloak. "You know, _seriously_. You gotta get control of this situation. Otherwise, _you're_ gonna be the one making her unhappy for the rest of her life."

"I don't need you to lecture me, Duo," Heero's angry eyes locked onto him again, and he straightened to push past him. "Come on, it's time we got back to the hotel."

"Yeah, I know," sighed the former God of Death as he scrambled after. "Listen, man, I'm sorry. I just want you to be happy and you definitely don't look like you're getting there any time soon."

Nodding, Heero shoved his hands into the pockets of his slacks and shrugged, not looking back. "Thanks."

Stumbling again, Duo scratched his head, then grinned. "Hey, you're, uh, you're welcome?" Noticing the stir that his long, flowing hair was generating, he turned to glare at the crowds, then caught up to his companion. "Hey, Heero? Hang on a second, man."

Heero slowed and pivoted to face him, expression still rather dour. "Hmm?"

"Well, I know I've been a pain, but . . ." Shuffling his feet, Duo looked away, then stuck out his hand. "Um, friends?" He glanced up uncertainly, violet eyes wide and hopeful.

With a sigh, Heero nodded, tension draining from his features as he took Duo's hand with his own and shook firmly. "No." His mouth slipped into a tiny smile as Duo looked disappointed. "Brothers."

Leaving Duo behind with a stunned expression across his face, Heero let go and smirked, "Come on, Repunzel. You'd better braid your hair before one of the locals tries to buy you a drink."

"Hey, that's not fair!" Duo yelled after him, "Only Hilde gets to call me that!"


	9. Chapter 9

Hello there! We are back! Sort of . . .

We both really hope that we aren't kept away from writing as much this time around. Things have finally started to progress in the right direction. CEP and I hope that you enjoy this chapter and that we will be able to give more to you this time around. This fanfic is very important to us. It's not only fun, it also gives us the chance to show how we view the characters and their lives.

**Kamineko**: Wow, no criticism. But no comments! (_cries)_ Actually, Episode 0 isn't official. It's a dojinshi, which means it was made by "fans". If you read the preface, the guy who makes it actually admits that he worked on the series at one point but got fired, and the manga is what he was planning on giving the producers as a few episodes. While few people know this, screenplays for television shows are usually ripped a new one and completely changed before they go to "film". So it's doubtful that the end result of the episodes would have turned out exactly as Episode 0 (his screenplay turned manga) did. But we are glad you still think we write well! Sorry it's been taking so long . . . we really do suck. :-( Sorry that it's been so long - things should be getting better now.

**Briar Noir**: Well, we certainly appreciate your review! However, we must disagree on the "emotional states". Considering that these are 15 year old kids who went through in one year more trauma than most soldiers go through during their entire tours of duty, we both agree that they are due a bit of "emo". CEP:Besides, the series is pretty emotional, too. Especially Quatre . . . Check out Endless Waltz. I laugh every time when he takes the blame on himself for the Gundams being sent to the sun.

**Hououza**: Duo and Heero certainly are interesting! And yes, we are looking forward to Dorothy causing trouble also. Of course the gang will get nutty, too. Thanks for the support! You are one of the best.

**Crysania Fay, Risk-Master, Lady Hanabiko, YamiPaladinofChaos**: Glad you liked it! Um, we suggest eating all food and drink substances _before_ reading though.

**Genkai Lady**: Yea! Thank you so much for the kind words about our characterization. We really try our best. As to the Handmaid's Tale and the "built not born" we actually haven't heard of that. Time to look it up! The headline was all CEPs idea. They probably _would_ accept it though.

**Omnicat**: Thanks for all the reviews. We went back and looked at those first chapters, and you're right, we do mention some things too much. We edited our copies, but haven't gotten around to changing those online. But I will say, not _everyone_ knows how they look (or else there wouldn't be issues of people describing them so badly in fanfics), and also, it's good to have some visual aids. At least that's what I think. CEP and I both agree that using "brunette" and stuff like that is better than using their names over and over again. And when you have multiple genders in one setting (3 girls, 3 boys or whatever) using "he" and "she" can get confusing.

Heero and Relena bad blood . . . well, Duo did have a hand in it, as you might have noticed from chapter 8. And yes, after a year or two she started to get fed up. Seeing him in Endless Waltz and having very little happen to speed up the relationship was kind of a wake-up call, we think.

We like the idea of each character having a unique interaction with each other character. Thus the Relena/Dorothy, Quatre/Heero, Relena/Wu Fei, etc scenes. And yes, poor Heero! But either way he'll convince himself he's happy. Right now anyway.

The Trowa/Catherine scene: we very much believe that even Cathy needs some love and affection. She can't be strong all the time. Trowa makes a good supporter for her when she needs it.

As to your "feelings", you are pretty accurate. There are many mysteries and may ulteriour motives. We are pretty sure you'll notice all of them (unlike some of our readership, who don't seem interested _sob_) CEP:There are 97 ulterior motives for each character. Per chapter.

We WUV you, Omnicat! This chapter is for YOU!

* * *

**Chapter 9**

Earth, Moscow  
April 14th – 6:45 am

"So," Trowa frowned thoughtfully, arms crossed over his chest, "that's all of it, then."

He and Quatre stood within Uncle Dave's Military Surplus Store, the latter changing into a black TAC uniform within one of the dressing rooms. The acrobat leaned against the wall nearby, hazel eyes thoughtful.

"Yes, as far as I know," came the blond's voice from through the changing room door, "I'm certain that Une has at least a few more pieces to the puzzle that she hasn't told either Wu Fei or myself as of yet, but I have no idea what they might be."

Nodding, the other pilot waited as Quatre opened the door and came out, the shorter boy frowning a bit at the uniform he wore. "It seems a bit big. It bags around my hips."

With a purse of his lips, Trowa looked him over and nods, "Well, your hips are rather slender. Perhaps you can have it taken in."

Sighing, the trillionaire nodded, azure gaze clouded from their previous topic, "I suppose I was spoiled from the tailored uniforms on Peacemillion." Turning to look into a nearby mirror, the boy frowned even deeper. "And black is so slimming that I look even more skinny than I normally do. I practically look emaciated."

"Well, black is the standard color for TAC uniforms," the taller teenager notes, looking into the mirror himself and meeting the eyes of Quatre's reflection. "You could always accessorize. How about some light Kevlar?"

Quatre shook his pale head, hands rising to his hips. "No, that's too warm, I'd get far too overheated."

"Perhaps we can find something that will make you less hot," the acrobat mused. "I'll go look for something. If that one fits you badly, try changing into one that looks more comfortable."

Sighing, the blond nodded as his friend began to walk away into the rest of the store. Having spent his time yesterday talking with Relena and Director Une, he hadn't had the opportunity to select gear for himself. Using the excuse as a chance to inform Trowa of what he had discovered, he now wondered how they were going to manage to get both Relena and Heero to stay at the school once they found out about each other.

_There has to be a way. Maybe when Wu Fei returns from escorting Relena to her meetings today, we can all discuss it and come to a decision. _

(-(-(-)-)-)

Earth, Tokyo  
April 14th – 12:01 pm

Zechs Marquise leaned back against the wall, standing within an abandoned corridor of the west wing of Japan's Unified Nation Headquarters. Tan trench-coat collar turned up around his neck and over his long hair tied back in a ponytail, his head was bent to gaze, unfocused, at the carpeted floor.

His was a face that many people would recognize, but there were many doppelgangers in the world; he kept himself quietly hidden and to himself, a ghost among the living, and so far, he'd managed to fool the Earth Sphere into believing the lie. He could only count the times someone had told him that he resembled the traitor Milliardo Peacecraft on both hands. He hoped to prevent any more occurrences.

No one could ever know who he was . . . ever again. His eyes closed tightly as bitter sorrow cut across his brow, his emotions tossed within a storm of conflict and pain.

_Treize . . . how I miss you._

_There's no one else left who really knows me. No one who can truly understand or know what has occurred. It's just Lu and myself now. And your cousin stalks me like her prey . . . her part in this is as muddled as mine. And too much blood on my hands . . . including your own._

If only there had been another way . . . but the plan, and his spiraling lack of control, swept them along down a path of vengeance, deceit, and good intentions.

_I know that you forgive me for what I've done. I could really use your help right now, old friend. Your cousin is planning something. I just wish I knew what. And I fear it may put Relena into great jeopardy._

Ice-blue eyes upon his past, Zechs could feel his future nearby. Without even having to turn his glance toward her, he felt her hand upon him, fingers sliding along his arm before settling into the crook of his folded arms, snuggling into the space and making it her own. As she always did.

"So," her voice spoke to him softly, a lilting, warm alto, "when will you start calling yourself your new name?"

_Another name. First I destroyed Milliardo, by joining in a bloodthirsty organization such as Oz . . . then I stained Zechs Marquise'_ _honor by staging a coup de __gras__, and finally I made the Peacecraft name soiled beyond repair in an attempt to show the world, once and for all, what peace really meant. My names are finished. _

"I'm not sure," Milliardo returned, frowning and raising his head, struggling against the weight of every choice he had ever made. "I hate to force Relena into such a thing. I've already had so many names, so many disguises."

_But unless I use this one, my family and friends will suffer. If I were discovered publicly by the authorities, I would be tried as a war criminal for my orders to Libra to plunge into the earth. So many war crimes occurred that most soldiers were forgiven, but I am considered a traitor to the human race – posthumously of course - and Relena and everyone I care about would be held as accomplices, aiding and abetting a fugitive. _

_Temporary insanity just wouldn't cut it, no matter how accurate it might be – and traitors don't get trials._

His eyes closed, and her warmth neared. "I think it's a good name. It suits you. It's safer for everyone involved, and Relena won't care about it. Names don't mean anything." She paused, and within his imagination he could see her indigo eyes flick away in thought, then crinkle as she smiled. "After all . . . 'That which we call a rose  
by any other word would smell as sweet'."

At that, he opened his eyes to beam at his wife teasingly, and the beauty of her form dug knives laced with ecstasy into his chest. "Wherefore art I Peacecraft?" his whisper scraped along his own ears, "Shall I deny my father and refuse my name?" Raising a taunting brow, he touched her face, running fingers down the smooth skin.

"Yes," she told him simply, and he sighed, contented, as she continued. "For, 'What is Peacecraft? It is nor hand, nor foot, nor arm, nor face, nor any other part belonging to a man.' It's not you, my love."

He nodded and sighed, his gaze rising to peer at the door behind which Relena's meeting had begun minutes ago. "Alright. Sephir Noin it is."

_Sephir. The west wind._

Milliardo unfolded his arms and took Lucrezia's hand within his own, eyes alighting upon her with a peace that he had only recently begun to understand.

_I suppose it's as good a name as any._

(-(-(-)-)-)

Earth, Moscow  
April 14th – 7:33 am

"_Hilde."_

Duo poked the dark-haired girl's shoulder and swiftly pulled back, expecting a swat, but Hilde simply continued to snore comfortably, sprawled onto her stomach upon her bed.

Sighing and glancing around the silent hotel room, Duo turned back to her and smiled down upon her, leaning over to brush her blue-black bangs out of her eyes. She was so peaceful, her tranquil expression like that of an angel.

The sunshine fell across her skin in slats of light, and he found himself tracing the line of her brow with a finger, down the nose squashed into the bedding, and then across her cheek. "Hilde . . . come on, it's time to get up."

With a tiny stirring, the girl fluttered her eyelashes and glanced up at him, then groaned and began groping for the covers. "No, no . . . too early," she croaked, finally finding the sheets and pulling them over her head.

"Nah, baby, it's time to get up," Duo chuckled, then reached out to wrestle the covers from her. "I talked to Heero, an I was wonderin' if it would be okay if he hung out with us today." His violet eyes narrowed as she remained silent. "Hilde. _Hilde._" Rubbing at his head, he winced, "Baby . . . come on. Get up. It's already almost seven. Look, the sun is up, birds are chirping, people're swearin' in Russian . . ."

Groaning, Hilde opened one indigo eye and glared up at him. "How the hell did you get in here, anyway?"

"Broke in, duh." The brunet grinned at her, then said, "There's breakfast downstairs. Vodka and donuts. C'mon and get up!"

The girl growled, then stuck a hand out and began waving it around until she finally caught his shirt. "Sleep," she ordered, tugging the confused boy toward the bed. "Now."

"Hey now," the braided teen tried to backpedal, but gave up at the exhausted look in her eyes. "Oh, okay." Grumbling, he pulled the covers back, then grinned as she squirmed at the cold and told her, "But I can't really sleep with my clothes on, baby. You really want me in your bed?"

A fist shot toward him and fell short, _thunking_ into the pillow. "Stupid. Like you aren't, anyway."

After a pause, Duo murmured, "Okay," and began to undress, just as her snoring returned in full force. "Um," he looked over her as he pulled off his shirt, "I missed you."

Snoring was her only reply . . . so Duo took off his pants.

(-(-(-)-)-)

As they stepped from the door of Uncle Dave's Military Surplus Store, Quatre blinked at the suddenness of the bright sunlight and looked around, heading down the steps. "You know, I'm kind of impressed that the store opens so early," he commented to Trowa.

Walking beside him, the acrobat nodded, two plastic shopping bags in his hands – both with labels from stores other than Dave's – and raised his gaze to the sky as well. "It's probably because they're both ex-military – at least according to Wu Fei."

Quatre shrugged, cerulean eyes scanning the quiet streets of Moscow as they walked. "And why _is_ it called 'Uncle Dave's'? Shouldn't it be 'Aunt Dave's' since Dave is a woman?"

"The words 'Uncle Dave's' sound more aesthetically pleasing, and are less likely to drive away potential customers," the taller boy returned. "But, now that we've purchased your equipment, we should probably discuss how we are going to keep Heero and Relena from finding out about each other, and from leaving the school once they do discover the truth."

Exhaling sadly, a resigned look crossing his child-like features, Quatre replied, "Unfortunately, I can't see an easy way to do it. Both of them are so stubborn."

"There's always a way, Quatre," Trowa's calm, clear voice broke through the relative silence of the early morning shopping avenue. Gazing over to his friend, a stern yet gentle look grew upon his face and he added, "All we have to do is think tactically, just as if this were a mission. What are their weaknesses? What are their strengths? And how can we manipulate and utilize them to our advantage? I suggest a meeting with the other pilots, and perhaps even the girls and definitely Sally. They can help us to determine these things more easily."

Nodding, Quatre's gold brows furrowed, mouth turning down at the thought of dispassionately considering his friends in such a way. "You're right, though it pains me to see them as tactical 'enemies' to defeat. But, how are we going to amass everyone without Heero getting suspicious or becoming involved himself?"

"I'll answer that in a moment. First I want to address your concerns." Placing a hand on his companion's shoulder, the acrobat told him, "Don't forget, our main objective is their happiness. And if we have to manipulate them in order for them to have the chance at happiness, then that only shows how poorly they themselves have been handling their own wellbeing. Remember," he smiled to soften his words, "we're not forcing them to get together. We are just making them face their demons, because if we don't, they never will. And right now, their greatest fears and obstacles are each other."

With another sigh, Quatre conceded with the bob of his head. "You're right. I just don't want us to get too accustomed to this kind of puppetry."

Trowa nodded himself to that as they came to a traffic corner and began to cross the abandoned street. "Alright. As to how to get everyone together, once again, we have to think about Heero and Relena's weaknesses. Relena won't be a problem, but Heero is here among us. The best way is to have some kind of 'social event' that Heero would be loathe to attend. Something that grates on his sensibilities and that no one could convince him to go to, no matter how much they tried."

"Hmmm." Tapping his bottom lip with an index finger, the slight blond's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "Well, Heero is very . . . serious. And I'd have to say that even though he usually is capable of putting up with almost anything, and he doesn't seem very arrogant, I do think he has an ego. He just hides it well." Thinking silently for a moment, a few more seconds passed, and then Quatre winced. "Oh, that'll work. But I don't think any of the guys will enjoy it."

"What did you think of?" Trowa asked calmly, looking a bit curious.

"Well, when I was younger and living with my sisters, they used to always use me as a . . . guinea pig," the fair-haired boy 's face wrinkled distastefully. "They would put make-up on me all the time," he admitted, ducking his head in shame. "It didn't help that I've always been pretty small for a boy, anyhow. That just made me more of a perfect test subject. They loved using me as their doll." With a put-upon sigh, he mused, voice slightly bitter, "If we have a 'sleep over' party and have the main attraction be a 'boy's make-over' that the girls just happened to 'stumble upon'," by now he was using his fingers as quotation marks in the air, "then I'm sure Heero will refuse under no uncertain terms to set foot in the hotel room we're having it at. Then we can all meet together and discuss him and Relena without worrying that he'll even eavesdrop. He's so masculine that even the idea would probably be distasteful."

"Funny," Trowa commented, "since he seems like someone who would not be uncomfortable around someone who was homosexual or effeminate. I doubt he would even be offended if someone tried to say he was homosexual himself."

Glancing up, the blond tilted his head, then nodded. "Well, I think he's very comfortable with his own sexuality, and normally putting on makeup probably wouldn't bother him – if _he_ was the one putting the makeup on and if it was for a good reason. I think it would be the idea of him being used as a toy or an object that would upset him – especially since other people are going to be laughing about how he looks in the makeup."

"That's understandable considering what we've been able to discern about his background, and rather commendable. In any case, we'll have to wait until Wu Fei has returned from escorting Relena to her meetings today. Luckily, Japan is five hours later than we are, so he should be returning as soon as her day is over."

"Right," Quatre nodded, "and on a sub-orbital shuttle, it only takes him about two hours, instead of sixteen with a commuter jet. Poor Wu Fei has pretty much learned to sleep mid-transit, but he's lucky that the bill goes to the Department of Defense – the Preventer budget being as it is."

Trowa's brown-green eyes saddened, but he smiled down at Quatre. "He's very devoted. It must be very tiring to rarely be able to sleep in a bed. And probably not very good to your back."

"Yes, when Relena told me about it I realized that this must be why he's been so very touchy ever since he became her bodyguard." The trillionaire's expression turned to a contemplative cast as they reached the hotel and opened the doors to enter. "He has many other duties, and often-times the both of them travel across the planet during her work, or even up to space, so even when he's being her bodyguard full-time, he doesn't always get to truly rest comfortably."

Holding open the door, Trowa smiled with amusement, "No wonder Sally's been so patient with him lately." Waiting as Quatre stepped into the hotel, the acrobat paused, hearing someone call something in Russian from the growing crowd of people on the streets.

"What is it?" the blond paused, looking concerned.

"Quatre," Trowa frowned, hazel gaze confused, "why is there someone yelling, 'hey, there's the guy who kissed Queen Relena'?"

With a sigh, the shorter boy dropped his head into his hands. "Not again . . ." Raising his head, blue eyes a bit crazed, he suddenly called out, "GO AWAY!" his voice cracking under the strain.

One eyebrow rose on Trowa's brow as he turned and looked at the man who had originally shouted the proclamation. "I think he's waving at you."

"Uhhhh," Quatre moaned, shaking his head as he slumped into the hotel lobby. "Heero's gonna kill me."

(-(-(-)-)-)

Earth, Tokyo  
April 14th – 1:01 pm

They had certainly started out late.

Glaring through the mirrored glass at the staff members seated in the other room, Wu Fei leaned forward over the counter and once again adjusted the sound, tuning out Relena's voice on the security speakers and upping the ambient noise in the room. Some people were muttering reminders under their breaths about their new assigned duties, others were shifting in their seats. No beeping or clicking, no sounds associated with bombs or bugs besides his own listening devices.

The Chinese agent flipped through camera angles with the remote, checking and double checking from his surveillance location that the conference room Relena was holding her meeting in was secure.

The room, at first glance, could be misconstrued as low security. The table was of a fairly standard, low to medium quality wood, the rooms were painted an off-white and did not rate any art work, and the chairs could have been purchased at any office supply store.

What Wu Fei really liked about this room was the attached surveillance area right next door, doubling as a small kitchenette. Originally, when he had first started guarding Relena, the conference room had been larger, including the cubical he sat within now. With the power of the Preventers backing him and the fear of Relena's death as his leverage, he had forced every station of the Unified Nation Headquarters to install a monitoring chamber built from, and supplied with, the most state-of-the-art equipment money could buy – and if they couldn't make a new one, they'd have to divide an old room in order to accommodate him.

This way, he could regulate everything . . . even the coffee that they were drinking.

Mind crossing the subject, the Preventer frowned at the cameras, noting that they seemed to have run out of said beverage exactly when he had anticipated it. _This is the part I hate the most, _ he told himself, knowing what came next as the Vice Foreign Minister sat down at the head of the table and pressed the intercom button.

"_Wu Fei,"_ her soft voice came over the line, "_could you bring us more coffee?_"

Shaking his head and grumbling, he stood and approached the newly made and pre-tested pot of Arabica in the "kitchen" area and picked it up by the handle. _At least she doesn't make me carry it out on a tray,_ he told himself, and opened the door to enter the conference room, steaming pot of coffee in hand.

_What I do for that woman . . . I can barely bring myself to believe._

Yet he did it all without more than a few choice words of complaint.

The coffee was poured expertly, and all the while he concentrated on the environment surrounding them. Nothing unexpected, so he silently returned to his observation room to continue studying the proceedings.

It truly could be exhausting at times, and he tried to keep his mind from wandering to those thoughts that concerned him most. But looking through the cameras onto the crisp image of Relena frowning with that tiny crinkle between her brows, or smiling brilliantly at something positive someone had said, or even nodding off when someone's speeches got incredibly boring . . .

Wu Fei had to catch himself from lingering too long upon her face, and upon thoughts of concern for her wellbeing. Those were better left to when she was at home among her numerous house guards, in that secret location. Far better to not distract himself when he should be concerned with physically protecting her.

Still . . . the incident with Dorothy Catalonia, and everything else that was developing into quite the messy plot, concerned him. He didn't like being so devious behind Relena's back, even if it was for her benefit. He could only hope that she would be willing to forgive his part in it, out of consideration for the effort he was putting into her future happiness.

He really knew best, after all. No matter how determined and sassy she could get, Wu Fei knew that it was just her highly spirited ways shining through. Deep inside, however, she was still a delicate flower, who didn't understand her own heart, or her desires. After all, why else would a woman such as herself let an unrequited love continue to haunt her?

She just didn't understand herself. She needed a firm hand, someone who could guide her away from these self-destructive places she brought herself to, these emotional cliffs that she seemed so ready to leap from.

(-(-(-)-)-)

Earth, Moscow  
April 14th – 9:21 am

"Good morning."

The quiet, almost inhumanly calm male voice broke through her slumber for a few moments, before she closed her eyes again and sighed against the pillow.

"I said, good morning, Hilde. That means it's time to get up."

She groaned a bit and pulled the pillow over her head. It wasn't Duo's voice . . . so she wouldn't yell at Duo for it. She'd just ignore whoever it was and then continue sleeping-

_Wait. Not Duo . . ._

With a halting shudder, Hilde forced her eyes open to find herself looking up at a stoic-faced Heero Yui. "Eech," she tried to scream in surprise, but only managed to retch out a cotton-mouthed gurgle. Swallowing, the brunette pulled herself up, then glanced around the room to see Duo sprawled, shirtless and still in the bed, blankets tossed from his bare shoulders during his sleep, no doubt. "Heero," she managed after a few moments, "what the hell are you doing in my room?" She tried to glare, but only succeeded in squinting blindly at the sun pouring through the opened draperies. _Those were definitely not open before I went to bed, _ she grumbled to herself as she ran quick hands through her hair. _I must look like crap . . ._

"You're late," the boy said to her, perched on the desk and looking immaculate except for the tousled chocolate bangs hanging over his eyes. Those eyes stared at her frankly. "Duo was supposed to wake you so we could spend . . . 'quality time' together." He raised a brow, then smirked at her surprised expression.

_Buh? Heero, making a joke?_ Hilde shook her head, more from confusion than negation. She didn't know Heero well, but from how much she had heard, humor wasn't a strong suit. "Um . . ." Frowning, she decided that now was probably a good time to actually think about what the guy standing in her room was saying. "Wait, how did you get in here?!"

Heero just gazed at her, the humorous expression shifting as he raised an incredulous brow. "I _am_ a Gundam pilot," he spoke very softly. "Or have you forgotten?"

Flushing, she looked away, pulling the blankets up to her chest as if the t-shirt she was wearing had suddenly become transparent. "Right . . . sorry." Then her sleep-muddled mind caught up, and she blinked. "Wait . . . why are you . . . you and Duo talked? Last night?"

"This morning," Heero said, eyes seeking the daylight outside the window as he crossed one leg over the other at the ankle and leaned back on the desk. "I got your note."

Hilde could feel the blood flooding every capillary she had, and she cleared her throat tentatively, staring down at the blankets. "Oh." She had a vague recollection of Duo entering the room earlier that morning, but he didn't seem angry. "I had no idea . . ."

An inelegant snort sounded from before her and she quickly looked up. "In any case," Heero's cool voice continued, "time to get going. Though you two certainly look comfortable enough together." He shot her a knowing look, cobalt eyes so piercing that the blood that had risen so quickly before drained away as a cold shiver wound down her back.

"W-what's that supposed to mean?!" she demanded, then bit her lip. "Never mind. Just, shoo, will you? I'll wake him up," she added quickly, flushing again at the thought of the guy who appeared quite naked from here, even though she was pretty sure he'd left his briefs on. _He'd better have them on,_ she vowed as Heero nodded and leisurely rose from his perch, _or he's gonna get his ass whipped!_

"I'll see you two downstairs," her erstwhile guest commented before heading for the door, calling back as he left, "and I hope you don't take too long. I dislike having to change my itinerary once set."

Hilde glared as the door closed rather loudly, then raised her fist to whack Duo in the arm where he slept, shocking him into a dazed, bleary-eyed consciousness. "You jerk! How dare you sleep through that! Now he thinks we're _sleeping_ together!"

His ineffectual groaning only made her pound harder.

(-(-(-)-)-)

Earth, Tokyo  
April 14th – 2:57 pm

Dorothy met them at the limousine after the meeting, and they all entered the ivory automobile in a quiet group, their silence tinged with vastly different emotional undercurrents. As the two adults and three teenagers settled into the seats, Noin found her gaze flickering across each person's face before it rested upon her husband. There were a great many things to discuss . . . yet the silence hung over them all like an ominous cloud.

Finally, Zechs spoke up, his deep voice reserved. "Relena. I have something to tell you. All of you, in fact." Attention drawn to him, he frowned and continued, blue eyes hardening. "We all know that Zechs Marquise and Milliardo Peacecraft are wanted men. If they were found alive . . ." Relena's features swiftly becoming horrified at the thought, Zechs pressed on, "Therefore, I am going to go by a different name. A new one. The last one I plan on ever having. I know it may be difficult, but I need everyone here to adhere to this."

Wu Fei nodded, expression unreadable, but Dorothy seemed, if anything, petulant. Glancing out the window with a heavy sigh, the platinum blonde waved her hand absently at Zechs before saying, "If you must. But your real name is so beautiful . . ."

"This name will have to do," he returned coldly.

The young minister gazed at him and asked into the empty silence that followed, "So . . . what is it going to be?"

With a nod, Zechs told her. "Sephir. Sephir Noin."

Noin found Dorothy's intense gaze practically tangible as the young woman directed it towards every person in the car in turn. "Wind," the girl spoke in her airy soprano tone. "How appropriate. I suppose I shall have to approve, then." She gave her patented grin, a cross between a snarl and a beatific smile that always sent shivers down Lucrezia's spine.

Unable to bear the directed stare, the brunette turned away, reminding herself of why she didn't trust that girl . . . there was something more than a bit unsettling about her placid ferocity. _We still can't trust her . . . and since there is no war, and nothing apparently wrong, that frightens me more than it did before . . ._

"Well," Relena murmured finally. "You are my brother, no matter what your name may be." Gifting him with a loving smile, she continued, "Sephir is a beautiful name. I am sure it will do you justice, dear brother." Leaning forward, she held out her hands to Zechs, and he grasped them, and the two siblings peered into each other's eyes across the expansive gulf that was the back seat of the limousine.

_But someday, they won't feel so distant, and that expanse will vanish,_ the brunette hoped, looking from her husband to her sister-in-law. _My love . . . Sephir . . . _ she spoke within her own mind, _ How I wish you could find the strength to forgive yourself . . ._

Their destination would hopefully be a further step towards redemption. Though it was a true irony, and yet fit perfectly, that the deliverance of her husband's heart and soul would be found at the grave of his best friend . . . a man whose death he helped to orchestrate a mere year or so prior.


	10. Chapter 10

Hello, again! Finally an update. We really hope some people are still reading this.

I'm sure we lost a lot of readers due to our absence, but life has thrown a lot of crap in our paths. Still, we're back and hope you enjoy this chapter!

looking back on everything, gah! 5 months . . . (smacks CEP to the moon!) It's all his fault, really. I've tried to get him to write. It's not that easy.

Anyhow, reviews, for those of you still reading. (hangs head):

**Krage**: We're really glad you liked that. Hope you're still reading! After so long, we wouldn't blame you if you weren't. (sob)

**Omnicat**: Trowa isn't really being a leader in that scene. It's more that Quatre is not comfortable seeing his friends as pawns in a game, and that he doesn't like manipulating them. It's all well and good that your friends are your "soldiers" but when they become pieces that you are playing, the morality bothers him. As for Wu Fei, you'll see he's still running on his ideal Chinese world, a very traditional but also idealistic mentality. Relena and Wu Fei are turning out to be tons of fun together! Who knew? And sorry for the lack of updates. We're trying. Finally, both me AND CEP are in the mood to write. I can't do it without him:-)

(CEP: Uh . . . I blame Ukky.)

**Kamineko**: Gomen, Gomen! (cries at seeing fewer and fewer reviews every chapter) And thanks for the Zechs complement. As for the traitors and prison, there are two ways you could see it: Things have changed in 300 years, or Zechs is REALLY negative. :-p We haven't really decided yet. Also, it's not Relena who's name is changing, silly goose! It's Zechs! Relena is a household name, she's keeping it! Names are power, and we all know that just dropping her name is going to get her places. Sadly, she's gonna have to use that in politics. Nasty, dirty world, but she plows through it with a shovel of goodness! Okay, that sounded just weird. . . . :-p

(CEP: As sad as it is, Zechs would die if it was revealed that he was still alive. Even as much as they forgave everyone else I doubt they could forgive him. He'd get a trial, but it'd be a show-trial if someone didn't kill him while he was in jail awaiting trial)

**Hououza**: About time Heero had some fun! They're gonna give him some of it if it kills him! Tee hee. Yeah, Zechs needs to realize that changing your name doesn't change the facts, but I think with a new name it will give him some breathing room mentally, you know? I hope work has gotten better, I know how stressful that is! (hugs)

**Gigglegal**: Sorry there's not much humor in this chapter! But the next one will have it, and we already have tons of ideas. We are determined to get back on track! Please leave more reviews, we love them!

**Genkai Lady**: I'll have to read that book, the Handmaid's Tale. Glad you liked Trowa and Quatre. We aren't intending on making anyone a stereotype, and those two together are the most oft stereotyped of them all! Zechs is such fun! I've heard tell that the "strangeness" of his speech in English was due actually to them having difficulty in matching the lip flaps. But I find that hard to believe, since other characters don't speak so oddly. I think it's just his eccentricity. (And who would want him to be normal?) I really don't think Treize and Zechs were gay personally. I think they were just very close friends. (And really, why do close friends always have to be gay? It's strange how there's this assumption that sex has to be involved in every relationship, isn't it?) I'm not really sure why they chose wind for him. Maybe he was thinking of a candle being blown out. (or maybe it's 'cause water was already chosen, lol) So happy that you liked the Duo/Hilde stuff! Also glad you liked the Wu Fei stuff. Ironically, one of our other star reviewers felt he was behaving badly, lol, while you approve of his behavior. It's so fascinating to see so many different views from such smart people:-) Hope you find this chapter just as cool, and please review! We're looking forward to it.

* * *

NOW! Onto the chapter! 

This chapter has a religious overtone that wasn't really intended, but we realized later that it all seemed to fit together. So, for those of you who are enjoying and contemplating over your Hanukkah, Christmas, Winter Solstice, etc, we hope this chapter finds you well and touches you. Er, in a good way.

**Happy Holidays!**

* * *

**Chapter 10**

Earth, Honshu  
April 14th – 3:45 pm

"Eternal friends."

The wind swept across the hills and dales of the Yokohama Memorial Cemetery as if seeking a kite to toss high into the deep cerulean sky, brushing the last of the cherry blossoms before his eyes and whipping his hair into a frenzy before calming.

Milliardo sighed and bent his head over the grave, then crouched down to study the words emblazoned across the simple headstone. "A part of me still regrets being unable to fulfill the vow we made so long ago, Treize." He narrowed his eyes in pain, thankful that he had been given this chance alone at Treize's grave. His family, his friends, all waited in this distance by the limousine, and for that he was grateful. He could not do this before an audience.

"What am I to do, my old friend?" he asked with frustration in his voice. "Do you forgive me for living? I still cannot bear to forgive myself," he moaned, and dropped his head into his hands, feeling his throat constricting. "Oh, my _friend,_ forgive me. I miss you more than ever before."

Touching the gravestone, he sighed and leaned over it. "Lu tells me over and over," he whispered, knowing his smile twisted ironically, "that it wasn't my fault. That you wouldn't blame me. Epion was more than I could take. You built a machine that went beyond both of us, Treize. Into a dark place I never want to go again."

Tears pricked at his eyes, and he sighed, feeling the warm sun across his shoulders. "You wouldn't want me to cry, would you. Your Lady, your love . . . she tells me as well. I should be happy to be alive. And . . . a wretched part of me is. I love Lu so very much. But I don't deserve her. If anyone deserved the happiness of a family, it's you, and you will never have that again.

"Speaking of family," he exhaled, "I need your advice."

He sat back and crossed his legs before the grave, and bowed his head. "Your cousin . . . oh, Treize. How torn a man I am. Between life and death, between trust and suspicion, between love and hate." He could hear his own deep voice filling with bitterness, but pressed on. "I vowed to watch over her. But what folly is she getting herself into this time, I wonder. Do you know? Can you help me steer her in the right direction?"

Nothing but the wind whispering along the plains answered to him, and Milliardo opened his eyes to gaze up into the brilliant sun shining down. "Sometimes I see your face . . . when I gaze into the stars."

Slowly, he rose, and stood silently there, letting the breeze toss his loosened mane wherever it wished. And somewhere inside of him, he felt more clear. "It's good to visit you again. Perhaps I was meant to live, to remember the pain caused and to repay the debt to humanity I have incurred. Can I wash away the stain of my sins? Or," he mused, opening his eyes to the distant ocean and words a hush, "would you chide me as a fool?"

With a glance to his right, Milliardo shook his head at the empty grave that sat there. "Zechs Marquis, Milliardo Peacecraft . . . both are truly dead. May they rest in peace, with you, Treize . . ."

He blinked away unshed tears, a serene smile budding at his lips.

". . . My everlasting, eternal friend."

(-(-(-)-)-)

Earth, Moscow  
April 14th – 10:52 am

The light was blinding. Beckoning to all with its resplendent multi-hued vibrance, it captured the gaze and held it gently, but firm. As he peered up, shielding his eyes with a lazy hand, Duo knew he was captivated; dry-mouthed, ensnared and enamored. Yet, in a tiny place within himself, a sliver of fear echoed.

Above, hanging within the sky and framed by stone and mortar, a crystal painting shimmered within the full glory of mid-morning. Angel and demon, weapons drawn, clashed in brilliant color. Good and evil bound in pale cerulean and deep ochre, the winged hellion bared a blood red blade and the seraph a sword of diamond.

"Stunning," a deep voice softly spoke at his elbow, and Duo started, head jerking back.

"Yeah," he replied, laughing slightly at himself and to cover his embarrassment, before sneaking a glance to his left. "Sure is."

Heero stood there, arms crossed and expression lax as if ready to give a dissertation on the religious significance, or something equally dull. Still, his eyes never left the stained glass depiction before them, even after his quiet comment.

"Hey, Heero," Duo murmured, eyes becoming unfocused as the displayed scene shimmered into a creamy oil painting before his bleary gaze, "do you, you know . . . believe in God, even?"

Heero didn't even grunt, but Duo felt it was an appropriate question.

After all, they stood within the recreation of the most famous church in Moscow, rebuilt only within the past thirty years: New St. Basil's cathedral. The original church, destroyed during one of many occupations of Moscow within the bloodied past of planet Earth, had been rebuilt using the same ancient techniques, but far larger, grander and if possible, more colorful than its predecessor.

Duo could only wonder at what the creator of the first cathedral would have thought, had he or she still been alive. The church was amazing . . . but it was just a building.

"God?" Heero finally replied, and Duo blinked, then recalled his prior question. "I don't think I've ever really considered the likelihood," the somber pilot continued, cobalt eyes blinking slowly as he continued to study the huge collection of glass before them. "There is no God in wars. Soldiers find solace in praying to one just before they die. But where was God when the wars began? Where is He when death covers the land and sky?" Heero shook his head, eyes narrowing yet still captured by the image. "I guess I'm an atheist. But I think we both know," he paused, and within the space between words his expression seemed almost sad before the mirage vanished altogether, "what god you believe in."

A florid rush of emotions lanced through him before he turned away, dark eyes seeking an escape from the gaping wounds Heero's insinuations brushed across. "Yes. And you . . . you would too . . ." the braided teen murmured bitterly. "There is no other god in war . . ."

"Unless war is the god . . ." Apparently unaware of the crux he had cast into the air between them, Heero continued to gaze thoughtfully at the bejeweled wall of light. "So many powers of darkness exist when the slaughter of life becomes mundane."

"Yeah," Duo felt his mouth sinking into a scowl, his eyes glittering like dull coals, "but Death is the ruler of them all . . ."

Only silence remained once his last word fell, one Heero appeared unwilling to break. The slow and heavy weight of time once again began to press down onto Duo's shoulders, and he glared vengefully up at the stained-glass angel. _There is no god to pray to,_ his thoughts coalesced within his rage. _What fools men are, worshipping a figment of their imaginations._ His head drooped, and he recalled true hellfire and damnation . . . and the smoldering wreckage, bodies scattered throughout, of the Maxwell Church. _What good did your god do you then? Nothing at all . . . and you died upon his "sacred" ground . . ._

"Ahem," a female voice interrupted his musings, and Duo's head jerked as he glanced down to find Hilde staring at him with a frown and deeply furrowed brow, arms overloaded with foodstuffs. "Hey, you guys!" she exclaimed, shoving a drink carrier holding three drinks at them in general which Heero took disinterestedly, "you're supposed to be having fun! Come on, I leave for _five minutes_ to get _you_ some food – and you'd better appreciate it, 'cause I'm not the wifey kind," she added, and Duo rolled his eyes, knowing she was now full-pitch into her rant, "and I see the two of you moping!" she glowered at them both in turn. "We're supposed to be having fun. So, let's go!"

With a sudden smile upon her face, the brunette started handing out snacks. "Here, if we're tourists, then it's about time we enjoy ourselves! Have to eat the touristy food, right? It's a requirement!"

Looking down at the processed foods she had shoved at him, Duo smiled and shook his head. "You're right, baby. Let's find someplace to sit down, though. I can barely hold all this, let alone have the hands to eat it. You sure got one of everything!"

Heero followed them but looked with distaste down at the foods he held. "None of these things are very good for human consumption," he informed them somberly.

Sighing, Hilde shook her head as they began heading back towards the collection of plastic tables and chairs that had been set up next to the snack bar. "That's the entire point of being a tourist! Live a little, Heero. Nobody's gonna do it _for_ you, you know."

And Hilde stared into his eyes for a long couple of moments as Duo gobbled down his snacks, until Heero harrumphed and turned his glare to his food instead. "Whatever."

(-(-(-)-)-)

Earth, Honshu  
April 14th – 3:59 pm

Casting a glance behind her, Dorothy gazed deeply at Relena where she stood beside the others, from across the expanse of grass and stone that reached between them. "Miss Relena," she sighed, then shook her head and returned to frowning down at the headstone she stood in front of, the bouquet of flowers clasped before her. "Very well, then."

"Mister Treize . . ." She sighed again, then laughed slightly. "Treize. My cousin. I said last time would be the last. Miss Relena had other ideas. Well." Smiling lightly, she sighed, a pang deep within her chest resurfacing. "Happy Birthday, cousin.

"Oh," she giggled, "did you forget? Well, that's alright." Her smile fell, and she sniffled, suddenly overwhelmed. "I don't _want_ to live in the past," she stressed. "Relena is so certain that this is good for me. But, it's _not._" She blinked. "Is it?"

Dorothy slowly let out her breath, then frowned. "I have to be strong. For everyone. You know that, Mister Treize. I don't have the luxury of wallowing in the past, in memories and misery. I just don't." She scowled, then dropped her chin to her chest. "Forgive me. I did my best, but I was unable to keep you alive. Now . . . I'm the last. It's just me." Inhaling the perfume of the blossoms, she added, "I won't let you down. I'll make you proud of me, Mister Treize. And father," she wiped at her eyes. "And mother," she whispered, and the words vanished upon the wind.

_That's that, then, _ she decided, and gingerly set the flowers down upon the grave. _Cousin . . . give me strength. I will need all of your support, looking down on me from heaven. I guess I wasn't strong enough, because I miss you so. But I will do as you would have had me do. I will follow in your footsteps. _

She closed her eyes briefly, and envisioned him within her mind. _The journey ahead isn't going to be easy. I know you would understand._ _But it's something I have to do. No matter how much it's going to hurt everyone involved. _

Tossing a glance back to the others, her eyes lingered mere moments upon the Preventer agent. _I have to be careful. He, out of them all, has no trust for me. _

_And no wonder. He shouldn't trust me. Not at all._

(-(-(-)-)-)

Earth, Moscow  
April 14th –11:11 am

"So, what do you think of it, Heero?" Hilde piped up as they strolled along the streets of Moscow, headed towards the next site of interest.

"Which?" he asked. "The churches? The city?" he raised an eyebrow and glanced at her before continuing to walk ahead. "Or the food?"

Duo cackled between them, then grinned as Hilde shot him a glare. "I donno," she replied, ignoring him. "Any of them." She walked a little faster to catch up to the taller boy, and tried to set pace with him. "Why do you walk so fast?" she said as an aside.

"Genetic manipulation."

Hilde blinked and leaned back. "You could have just said you felt like it," she muttered. "So, come on. No distractions. You don't talk much, Heero, and I'd like to get to know you," she smiled brightly and tried to look innocent, instead of desperate. _C'mon, buddy. Talk to me. You're important to Duo so I really want us to get along._

Heero simply gave her an unimpressed look, then shook his head. "The city is beautiful," he told her. "The churches gave me a lot to think about. The food was . . . greasy."

"Argh," she groaned melodramatically, then smiled. "Okay, then. What do you mean, the churches gave you a lot to think about? What did they make you think of?" In the corner of her eye, she noticed that Duo was unobtrusively watching them from a few paces behind with a great deal of interest, though to her, he hid it badly.

"Well," Heero sighed heavily, as if put upon to even speak at all, "A great many things. They were made beautifully. A great deal of care was placed into them. It made me think," his voice grew more calm and introspective, "that religions cause the creation of quite a number of amazing, breathtaking monuments and artistic relics. However, in the end, they also destroy much, much more."

The somber, resigned tone to his voice juxtaposed the brilliant sunlight, and Hilde winced, rubbing at her forehead. "Um, I take it you're not a big believer in God."

Heero led them down a cobblestone stretch of road, avoiding the street venders as they called their wares, some in English and some in Russian. "I don't see any reason to believe in God, Hilde. Would a god allow all of the wars that have occurred to take place? Would he have let so much pain and suffering happen before peace could be achieved?"

He stopped so suddenly within the shade of a large table umbrella that Hilde nearly ran into him, before he turned to face her, and she felt the blood rush into her cheeks. "Would any just and loving god let so many people die?" His deep blue eyes gazed into her own, expression as stone, but she could almost believe that an emotion lingered within the depths. "Would he or she, or it, allow the virtuous to perish and the evil to live?"

Thrust far beyond her depth, Hilde swallowed and looked down - inadequate yet determined to speak - but her chance was taken from her by another.

"He did," Duo said softly from behind her. "Didn't he?"

A dull thrum of panic sunk into her chest as Hilde turned to glance up at the approaching boy. She knew that tone, and, unsettled, felt her determination flare right before she stared into his turbulent, violet eyes. "No. God doesn't control people. He didn't want people to be mindless automatons. But that doesn't mean that He doesn't care about us. He, She, It, _whatever_!"

Hilde grimaced as she watched Duo's soft features stiffen and twist into a sneer. "He doesn't care, Hilde. He's not real."

"If," she postulated loudly, "_if_ He's not real, then how do you explain all of us surviving the war and meeting up the way we did? You can't just say that was a bunch of coincidences. We had to have something watching out for us!" _Please, oh please, just listen!_ This was why she hated bringing up religion around Duo . . .

Heero looked down at her solemnly as Duo pushed past to lean against the brick wall, then tugged up the collar of his leather jacket around his neck and pulled out his sunglasses to hide his baleful eyes.

"Hilde," the calmer pilot returned, "I don't wish to cause you duress. But, I do believe those were all just coincidences. A lot of other people didn't survive. It's only because we did that we see it as a good omen."

The dark-haired girl tried with difficulty to ignore Duo's dark mutterings to her right and instead stared desperately up at Heero's serious gaze. "But, what about Relena?" she said, and watched as the skin tightened around those suddenly hollow Prussian eyes. "If Relena hadn't survived all of this, if she hadn't met you and Duo, and then went on to fulfill her destiny, then a lot more people would have died, and the wars would have lasted far longer than a year or two!" Even as she said it, a far away part of herself wondered just how much Heero himself could take of what she was saying, and how far she was pushing him. But she couldn't stop the words, and now they had been said.

"Relena was supposed to die," Heero murmured, almost as if to himself.

Hilde felt her chest constrict, and taking a few steps closer to him, she gently spoke, "But she didn't. And I don't care what you say, Heero. That wasn't a coincidence. That wasn't an accident. She was meant to live. She was meant to meet you, and she touched everyone she met and changed everyone's lives for the better. It's why a lot of people still call her Queen, and some even call her a saint."

"I know," he muttered, and the agony that was ever clearer in his torn expression drew tears from Hilde's eyes. She tugged off her beret to twist it between her hands, gazing down at it with shame at the pain she had caused.

Within moments, Hilde realized familiar hands were rubbing her shoulders, and she turned to blink up at Duo from where he stood behind her, smiling at her sadly, his anger vanished. Strength returned to her, and she faced Heero once more with renewed resolve.

"Heero. Do you _really_ believe it was just a coincidence that all of the people necessary for the survival and peace of humanity managed to live through the turmoil to create the new era we live in? What are the odds that you five would have lived to save us all, not to mention meet everyone that you needed to help you? Even the odds of _you_ surviving were slim, let alone everyone else."

The teen before her inhaled slowly, but seemed on surer footing. "That's presuming that someone else wouldn't have stepped up to take our places."

"Well," she countered, Duo's hands warm on her back, "somebody else might not have had the courage, or the skills, or the _tenacity_ to do it. And there's no way that someone could have mirrored Relena's life in such a perfect way as to place themselves in the position of world leader that she found herself in."

Heero paused, merely peering down at her. "I see that your letter to me revealed only the barest shred of how articulate and opinionated you are."

She flushed again and ducked her head, only to hear Duo chuckle quietly behind her. "Yeah," he said thoughtfully. "She's one in a million."

"You know I'm right, Heero," Hilde murmured, further embarrassed by the praise. "Even if you, or I, or Duo could have been replaced . . . you know that someone like Relena only comes around once in a lifetime . . . if that."

"Perhaps," he hedged, eyes narrowing thoughtfully at her, "we were simply very lucky that Relena was born as she was."

Hilde smiled and risked a glance up at him. "Hey. Nobody's that lucky. Especially the human race. I think Relena was meant to save us. I also think that there aren't too many people who would have been brave enough, if put in the same situations, to do it. But she _was_. She made her choices, and nobody, not even God, controlled that. And she's probably the bravest person I've ever met, or ever will."

"Hey," Duo said from behind her, and she looked up to see him leaning over her shoulder. "You're pretty brave too. Not many people got the guts to stand up to this guy," he gestured with his thumb at Heero. "In fact, you and the princess are probably the only ones I know who can tell him to his face he's wrong and not get threatened!"

"Duo," Heero deadpanned, and they both glanced up at him. "Shut up."

(-(-(-)-)-)

Earth, Honshu  
April 14th – 4:19 pm

"Wu Fei," Relena smiled at him, "would you like to go with me?"

Zechs – or rather, Sephir - and Noin, and then Dorothy, had all taken their turns at private moments before the grave. Now that Dorothy had returned to stand next to the group beside the ivory limousine, the wind tossing their hair and whispering along their ears, Relena was the last. Her, and Wu Fei.

Wu Fei's reaction was about what she had expected. Dark eyes narrowing, he shook his head, continuing to scan the horizon around them. "I will have a better vantage point of any possible threats from this location. I think it would be wiser for me to remain here and watch you from afar."

Relena sighed as her gaze dropped to his ebony and olive uniform, lingering on the photo ID badge upon his left breast, and the serious young man staring back from the image. "Actually," she told him, "if you were to go with me, you would be at the center of any threat to me. You would be with the apex . . . with _me_. You would be able to monitor any threats from a one-hundred and eighty degree rotation around ourselves. However," she smiled and met his eyes as his gaze slid back to hers with veiled annoyance, "should you remain here, _you_ will be the apex of your search, but I would be at the apex of danger. Your position would be the perimeter of any danger, instead of the center. Your view would only cover a limited area in comparison to the possible threat ratio." Pleased with her ability to feed him his own jargon back, she straightened and waited for his reaction.

Stunned, at first the Chinese teen blinked at her, then a fury enveloped his features and he glared down at her with snapping coal eyes. "Vice Foreign Minster," he grated out in his harshest tone, "you . . ." Seeming at a loss for words, and with her patient eyes gazing back into his own, he appeared to deflate, shoulders slumping. "You are right. Let's go," he muttered, gesturing forward and looking as if he wished he could cover his face with a weary hand.

Smiling, the blonde further surprised him by happily slipping her arm through his and tugging on his elbow as she strode along the grass-covered lawn. "Good," she told him, enjoying the shock crossing over his Asian features. "I feel so much safer when you're around, remember?" Instantly, his embarrassed eyes hid from her own, and her smile vanished as she peered somberly into them. "I wasn't just saying it, Wu Fei. I know we have our differences, but I would never lie to you. You know that, don't you?" She suddenly wanted to know that he understood, _needed_ to know. _Wu Fei . . . I have so few people I can trust explicitly. You are so close to me._ So many things she wanted to say . . . but his pride wouldn't let her.

"I," he stuttered, then raised gentle eyes to her own, far softer then they were when others were present, "I do. Relena." His hand covered the crook of her elbow then, and she felt a heat flood over her before she looked away, knowing a flush had risen across her cheeks. _That devotion . . . it is addictive. As is that trust. My friend, we will find happiness,_ she vowed to Wu Fei as he turned his newly troubled gaze back to the grave they were fast approaching. _I won't let it be otherwise._

But for all of her friendly intentions, she had to try with difficulty to ignore the more than friendly feelings he occasionally rose within her.

(-(-(-)-)-)

Wu Fei cleared his throat upon seeing Relena's blush, and instead concentrated on where they were walking, and their surroundings. _A threat could come at any time. I cannot be distracted by a beautiful wom- by her Ladyship._

Instead, however, he found himself distracted by the quiet, peaceful cemetery, and one particular headstone they drew nearer to. _I will protect her. That is my only reason for being here, _ he reinforced within his own mind. _This reaction is just the "bodyguard syndrome". It happens. It's nothing more. _His jaw clenched as he tried to ignore that voice at the back of his mind that snidely informed him of how cliché he sounded – and of how often he repeated the same nonsense over and over, until one would think he would have started to question its validity.

But he didn't. He was only a guard. And she . . . she was the Queen of the World.

Wu Fei felt her hand tighten on his own that rested against the warm hollow of her inner elbow – the skin was soft, smooth – and then she smiled at him and stepped away, to stand before the grave, silently. He, however, began to scan the horizon, and their surroundings, a somber frown curling down his lips, away from the gentleness that her presence had begun to draw from him.

The wind rustled, the sun remained a hot sphere hanging high in the sky, and the world appeared a pristine gem. Tokyo bay glistened in the distance, and from afar he could hear the sea birds calling upon the air. No sign of any danger . . . and in truth, he hadn't expected any.

Behind him, he could hear the grass crunching under her feet, her lungs inhaling and exhaling the crisp, clean air. She prayed silently, her back to him; he realized that he deeply wondered at her inner words, at what she might be asking for. Or telling him. _Him._

Wu Fei concentrated on the wind, and the trees that might be hiding any threat behind them, or the rolling hillsides that could be protecting a sniper as they slunk in the grass. He was not here for Treize, as everyone else was. He was here for Relena. No one else. _Nothing _else.

If he concerned himself with Director Une's health and well being, that was just his way. If he went to Mariemaia's scholastic events whenever possible, it was because it would disappoint her if he did not. It was _not_ because he felt a need, a desire to make right that which was wrong, to do honor to an honorable enemy, a _slain_ enemy, and_-_

Relena turned behind him just as his eyes flicked over his shoulder to scan the area before her – she couldn't be expected to be on guard, here – and they faced each other, eyes caught by one another. Hers were of a blue too deep and limitless to comprehend, and with that thought, he frowned and brushed past her to check the area she had turned her back to.

"Is it time to go?" he asked with more – and less – gruffness than he intended.  
"Not just yet," came her soft reply, and he returned to gazing into her eyes with a frustrated expression.

"We do not have all day, _woman_," he grumbled, and faced away from her again to study the graveyard for any possible threat. "Your meetings are over for the day, and unfortunately Une has need of me back in Moscow, so I will be unable to go with you should you desire to go shopping, or any other recreational activity, until tomorrow perhaps."

Her voice behind him sounded amused. "Unfortunately?"

Coloring again, Wu Fei turned to face her. "It's time to go," he said, tone low and resting beneath his emotions.

They stared at each other for a few moments, then Relena put a hand on his shoulder. "Speak to him, Wu Fei. You, above all, need this." Her azure eyes glinted as they struck his own, and he felt a numbness travel along his spine that prevented him from pulling away.

"I cannot," he finally told her. "It is not my place."

"It's your place above anyone else's!" she exclaimed, and made a pained noise as he pulled his shoulder from her grip to take a few steps away. "Wu Fei . . ." He heard her sigh behind him, and his back stiffened at her touch. But he couldn't ignore her – he was here to protect her. So he turned, and instead looked over her shoulder, and over his own. "Wu Fei," she repeated, this time with annoyance, "I can't say that I know everything you've went through. But I do know a little . . . Treize respected you. You were someone he . . . truly admired."

He really didn't want to hear this. This was all more than he had ever wanted to hear. Continuing to look around, not meeting her eyes, the Asian Preventer hoped above all else that she would just give up. He'd almost hope for someone to attack them, just to end the subject here and now – almost.

And with every word slipping from her soft, thin lips, his resolve was deteriorating. And she _knew_ it. She was cunning, and brave. Manipulative, yet with a heart untainted by evil. The perfect politician in an age of lies and depravity. The perfect Queen. The perfect Empress.

"Are you listening to me?" she finally spoke with a curt tone, and he shook his head slightly.

"I'm paying attention to our surroundings, Vice Foreign Minster," he told her, using the titles in that way that she often hated to hear from his mouth, and the ones that frequently caused those deep ocean eyes to crackle with the suddenness of a tropical storm. Daring a flicker of his gaze to hers, he saw that they were snapping now, and a pretty frown had crossed her face.

"Special Agent _Chang_," she returned, a coldness to her voice that seldom appeared, but always signaled the beginning of an argument, "I don't want to have to order you."

_She wouldn't dare order me to pay my respects, would she?_ he wondered, then risked a glance to her once more, and winced. She would. This was Relena he was thinking of. She would get her way, with either sweet words or barbs, but she would have it. And even though she was his ward, his empress . . . he found the idea of giving in to her repellent to his dignity.

Well, enough was enough.

He faced her. He knew that her brother would be watching. Good; he could help keep her out of trouble while she occupied Wu Fei's time. "Relena," he told her, his tone serious, but not cold, yet not angry either, and his eyes meeting hers without fear or uncertainty. "This is none of your concern. And you know it."

Her expression collapsed, eyes filling with disappointment and desperation that repeated such feelings along her open mouth, down-turned with suffering, and he cursed his growing sensitivities. And as she looked away from him, curving her head to the side like a beaten child, Wu Fei felt his own throat constrict and his fists clench in impotent rage.

There was no guile in her now. This true emotion she stood before him trying to hide, that was what became his undoing every time. And every day he spent as her guard softened him. Before, he would have winced at a woman crying, and felt a sear of guilt. Now, all she had to do was give him those eyes, and it was enough to put him in a tailspin.

"Dammit, Relena," he muttered, then cast his gaze around them as if checking their perimeter, when in actuality he wished for a distraction to save him from the situation. Something. Anything. _No, _he altered his thoughts swiftly. _Not merely anything. _"I . . ." he struggled to speak, wanting to wipe away that despondent look clouding her normally brilliant blue eyes. Finally, he muttered, "Fine. Go to the car. Everyone had better be in that limousine with the doors locked when I get back. Especially you. If I find," the impotent anger he had been unable to express began to grow even as a smile blossomed across her mouth, "that you did not do as I said . . ." He glared into her happy eyes and cursed her cheer within his own mind. "There will not be anyone stopping me from punishing you, young lady."

She raised a surprised and bemused eyebrow at that, and he glowered and blushed as he realized – due to an over-exposure to Sally's perverse mind – how exactly that had come out. "You know what I _mean_," he grated, then pointed at the car abruptly. "Now go, woman!"

Relena simply beamed, thankfully able to control herself enough to not laugh unbecomingly when within a cemetery, and turned to walk back towards the car. A second passed, and then he moved swiftly to catch up with her, a scowl pairing with the heat still flooding his cheeks. "I'll walk you back," he informed her, and was rewarded with her cheeky smile.

_I must be getting soft, _he told himself, self-reproach thick within his mind. _For even the barest of moments, I forgot my job. It won't happen again,_ he vowed. After all, if it became a habit, he would have to assign a new Preventer to be her personal body guard, and there was no guarantee that his replacement would be sufficient enough. Still, whoever was her guard couldn't afford any distractions.

Being distracted by Relena Dorlan could cost her life, and that was one thing that Wu Fei was not willing to lose.


	11. Chapter 11

(taps mic) Ahem . . . so . . . is anyone still reading this? Eh eh heh . . . (winces) I think we even said that last time, too . . .

So, um, we're back! Finally got CEP to write! Yes, there are TWO of us, er just for those of you who thought it was just me. CEP is also an author here (crazy elf paladin).

And the good news is that we already have half the next chapter written. We are going to try to keep writing. Now that it is summer, I think we will get better.

Review reply time!

**Krage**: Thanks! We really hope you like this. Wu Fei and Relena . . . well, this is a trad/canon couple fic (despite what 1-2 shippers say, they are not canon.) so Wu Fei and Relena won't be together in the END but . . . can't say much more! (grins)

(CEP: Since y'know Gundam Wing is, more or less, a soap opera with giant robots, it would very arrogant of us to ignore the base from which it came.)

**Hououza**: Things still good? We hope so! We're really glad you liked the religious overtone/undertone (?) to the chapter. This chapter goes in a different direction, back to some humor. (yea!)

(CEP: I take the credit for the humor. Unless you hate it, then it was all Ukky.)

**InsaneDreamer**: Here's your bit of Quatre/Dorothy! We totally love and appreciate your words! We, too, like having the characters interact and be buddies and get to know each other. We're soooo sorry to keep you waiting and we hope you come back and read more! Yeah, Dorothy is sad, but she has more surprises up her sleeve. I hope you don't hate the bit we have with her here. To quote the Labyrinth, "Nothing is exactly how it seems, here" or something. (grins)

(CEP: Nothing? Nothing? Tra-lala!)

**Omnicat**: My love! (snuggles Omnicat) You are so right, people get impatient. And I wish we had updated and written more because we really do love these chars. LOL, you knew Wu Fei would have a little crush on Relena? Tee hee. I am rooting for Dorothy's scheme, too, how about that? We will totally update SOON!-ER!

(CEP: Unless we don't.)

**Tandy**: Which is your fave pairing? (hugs) Thanks for joining the fun! Hope you are still around to read and review!

(CEP: Mine is Bill and Dave. B&D 4EVAR!!1!1!ONE!!ELEVEN!1)

**Genkai Lady**: LOL, thanks! Zechs wasn't really hard, I just had to put myself into his character and think "I am morose, I saw too many Shakespearian plays, and I was in the military . . ." Okay, maybe I really had to delve, it's true, he's not the easiest! Some people say he spoke that way because of really bad dubbing, but I noticed that none of the other characters ever said really whacked out stuff (except Relena and her "little prince" line, but she's family, so maybe it's genetic!)

(CEP: Hey, there's a gene for whacked out eyebrows (Treize and Dorothy), why not ridiculous amounts of prose!)

As for HEE-CHAN and BAKA . . . (vomits and shakes uncontrollably) those are usually yaoi fics, so it's no wonder they conveniently forgot about their actual professions. (did you know that "yaoi" is actually an acronym in Japan that means something like "no substance, no meaning, no resolution", so basically yaoiempty filler?) I can't stand ooc fics. Now, if someone wrote a _homosexual_ fic between Duo and Heero (I guess we'd call it "slash") that actually had good character development and made sense and didn't forget about the girls existing (or made them into meanies) then I would love it! And thanks about Hilde! She's my fav female char in GW, though of course we've extended what we saw of her personality since they didn't show her much in the series. She didn't get many chances for char development, unfortunately. (beams)

**Sutoomu**: Wow, thanks for the three reviews! You are awesome! We are so glad you laughed and that you like the story, especially Duo. Our view of Duo is a bit more in-depth than those we've often found. (Some rare stories do him justice, but usually we're just kinda disappointed.) He has many layers that some people forget about. We hope that we've gotten him right and are glad you seem to think so! We sure hope you keep reading and that you like what we've written here!

(CEP: Duo's my favorite, actually. I'm an obsessive, little fan-boy. I've played him (in RPs) as a ninja, highwayman, Jedi and the actual God of Death.)

**DCWestby**: Arigatou-gozaimasu! Your review is appreciated, and please let us know how you like this chapter as well!

(CEP: Well, thank you. Like above, I take all credit for anything good and give all credit for anything bad to Ukky.)

**Okay, now, onto the chapter. Please review, even though our absence means we really don't deserve it! (cries) **

**  
And, CEP? You're a dick.**

* * *

**Chapter 11**

Earth, Moscow  
April 14th –11:21 am

"_Report, Commander."_

Sally smiled at the view screen and nodded. "All is going well. Had to make a slight alteration to some backgrounds; namely, Heero and Duo are now the Maxwell 'brothers' – half brothers. Couldn't have anyone recognizing Heero's code name of Yui. Too high profile." Her eyes narrowed just slightly as she watched Une carefully fold another blouse and place it within her suitcase. _It's also a rather high-profile school to pick for the famous and infamous Gundam pilots . . ._

"_That's fine,_" Une replied, her gaze on her packing. _"But I also want you to change Trowa Barton's name to Trowa Bloom, to match Miss Bloom's and give them the cover of brother and sister, since they are so accustomed to it." _ Leaving Sally a bit mystified at this and before she could ask, Une segued, _"I don't see Preventer Chang with you. He still hasn't returned?"_

"Nothing serious," Sally heard her own high-tenor voice smooth over the assurance, and kept her curiosity at bay. "He called at seven-thirty this morning to report that he would be late. It happened that the Vice-Foreign Minister had planned a short trip to the Honshu province."

She was graced with a smile from Une, before the suitcase was shut. _"A popular place this season," _ her words returned, sounding more wistful than amused. _"Very well. As soon as he returns, however, I want both of you to double and triple check everything about our new student's backgrounds, their new lodgings, classes, everything. I want to make sure there is no possible way anyone will figure out that they are more than privileged students going to a new school."_

"About that, Director," Sally pursed her lips, eyes flicking away and back to the image of Une on the viewer. "I still find it troubling that we are presuming no one will be suspicious of them. The entire group, joining the Vice Foreign Minister on her 'vacation' to spend an entire senior year at a prep school, and all of them knowing each other . . . Somebody's going to find that amiss."

"_Of course they are. And when they look into it," _ Une smirked up at her as she placed another suitcase onto the bed and began placing toiletries and shoes within it, _"they'll find that they are actually undercover bodyguards, to surround the Vice Foreign Minister _and_ Quatre Rebbaba Winner and make certain that they are not disturbed on their vacation. Enlisted, of course, by the Preventers."_

Frowning thoughtfully, Sally bobbed her head. "Brilliant. A cover within a cover."

"_Can't be too careful. And," _ Une murmured, _"that brings me to the other issue. I spoke with Quatre yesterday. I'm certain you're aware of the fact that Relena has no idea that Heero is going to be attending her school, and vice versa. I'd like you to plan with Winner and the others for a smooth transition. I want them both to stay at the school. Heero would make a wonderful Preventer agent, not to mention that having him here will mean we know - Where. He. Is," _she emphasized, staring deeply into Sally's eyes with the words. _"Better the wasp you see than the one you don't. He's a possible danger to society I'd rather have under my thumb. And Relena needs to go – and stay – for public support. It's getting close to the end of the honeymoon period, and soon her opponents will start rubbing in the fact that she never had a normal childhood, nor finished high school. A GED is not going to pass inspection much longer."_

"I see you've been chatting with her Public Relations director again," Sally smirked and folded her arms over her chest.

"_When I can tear him away from Wu Fei, that is."_

"He needs to concentrate more on his job as a Preventer, not as her bodyguard," Sally added darkly, feeling a crease of stress marring her forehead. Raising a hand to rub at it, she finished, "He's barely getting enough sleep as it is, and it's starting to show. I'm afraid he's going to crack."

"_You can't rein him in?" _Une joked wryly, finishing her packing to face the comm. station. _"Commander, I expected better from you."_ She smiled to show she was teasing, but Sally flushed in any case.

"You know how he is," she stated, "Relena is his new savior. I may be his commanding officer, but she's the apple of his eye. There's no pedestal he won't place her on," she laughed sharply with little humor, "and that wouldn't change unless the Minister did something truly out of character. Since that's never going to happen-"

"_Sally,"_ Une interrupted_, "calm, calm. It's going to be okay,"_ her full-bodied voice soothed, demeanor switched from superior to counselor in a moment. _"This school trip will be good for more than Relena. I'm planning on the break to do Wu Fei some good, as well. And yourself. Keep on your toes, but try to see it as a holiday. We have other agents to handle the rest of the Earth Sphere while you'll be gone. All you need to do is handle our future ruler."_

Sally sighed, and deflated. "Do you really think she's going to be the President some day?"

"_I can't imagine anyone else fitting the job so perfectly. Let's just make sure to keep her alive until then."_

"Yes, Ma'am," Sally saluted solemnly, bitterness vanishing as a wave of determination flowed over her. "You can count on me for that."

"_I knew I could, Sally."_

(-(-(-)-)-)

Earth, Honshu  
April 14th – 4:33 pm

Standing before the flat gravestones, Wu Fei watched a flock of birds sweep by, the growing shadows of the afternoon stretching into evening. A hushed serenity hung across the glade, and he bowed his head, brows furrowing.

_I have nothing to say,_ he told himself, eyes avoiding the grave, and the words printed across it: "_Treize Kushrenada._" There was nothing he could say, really.

What _could_ he say? I'm sorry I killed you? I'm sorry I left your love alone, and your child fatherless? _Not that I knew at the time he had a child, _ Wu Fei grumbled to himself, fists clenching at his sides. No, there was nothing he could say. It was pointless even being here.

"I," he finally spoke aloud, "I don't have any incense to burn, and I don't have any joss papers. No rice." He glowered at the headstone now. "I'm ill prepared to visit anyone! It's all Relena's fault, if she hadn't sprung this on me, I-" he stopped, then grunted, "Well, I'd probably not have shown up. But still."

He couldn't properly visit anyone's grave without time to prepare . . . he wasn't even dressed correctly. Wu Fei could feel his heart begin to beat faster as his core temperature seemed to rise, and he forced himself to stay calm. _Ill prepared . . . can't visit the dead in your work clothes. Couldn't even change into the proper attire . . . _

"This isn't how I planned it," he found himself sputtering, tugging at the collar of his dress shirt almost frantically before he shoved his hands back to his sides. "If I were to visit you, I would have . . . I would have brought a gift, or something. Definitely incense. I would have come alone," he argued the air, then stopped, mouth caught open, before he sighed, flushing in shame.

"I'm still doing this all wrong," he whispered, and forced himself to breathe, in through his nose, out through his mouth, calming before continuing. _I still have a long way to go._

Slowly dropping to his knees, Wu Fei bent his head and – with only the smallest of scowls – overlooked the lack of incense sticks and instead clapped his hands twice before placing his palms together and bowing over them. All around him the wind tossed through the grasses cheerily, and the faint call of seabirds filled his ears, along with the rushing of the ocean through the nearby bay.

_Ancestors, watch over Treize Kushrenada,_ he prayed. _He was a fine warrior with an honorable spirit. He gave up all of his happiness to save all of us. He is a great soul. May his _kuei_ wander far from the living, and may you guard his _shen_ until the time in which we will meet again. Then we will duel once more, and this time, Treize, you and I will not hold back. Neither of us will be driven by passion, or fear, or despair. Nor shall we be ruled by anger or vengeance. Instead, I pray to see you again, and that we will battle filled with the joy at seeing one another once more._

Wu Fei's hands were damp, and he blinked in the fading light, eyes struggling to see through a watery film. He looked down at his clasped palms and the fluid collecting upon them, then touched his face to find the same tears. Morosely, he took out a handkerchief and brushed along his hands and face, then bowed his head once more.

He found himself straying from tradition, as his thoughts skittered through dozens of realms from where he sat, before Treize's grave. _Treize. I regret your death. The fight should have gone to the better warrior. The more deserving. You . . . you left behind a bright future. You were a leader of men, with a love, and a child. You had so much left to live for. _

_Not to mention,_ he began to anger slightly,_ that I am quite convinced you rigged that fight. You were dishonest. If you had not intentionally weakened yourself and taken that strike, you would have been the victor. You dishonored me by not killing me as it was my right to be vanquished honorably. _

He felt that he was starting to stray, so pulled himself inward, and breathed again. _As the warrior to have defeated you, I have taken it upon myself to watch over your remaining family. Even though you dishonored the both of us, I know your reasoning for it. Your bravery will not be forgotten by me, nor your sacrifice._

And now it was high time he leave. He'd already lost far too much control, more than he was comfortable with.

Gracefully bending down low again over his clasped hands, Wu Fei then rose to his feet, bowed again at prayer, then turned to walk back towards the limousine. _Treize . . . does your _kuei_ wander this graveyard? Do not haunt me, my Lord. You will find no rest with me. Instead, remain here and prowl this peaceful place. You could do much worse than this as your eternal rest._

(-(-(-)-)-)

Earth, Moscow  
April 14th –11:45 am

Catherine sighed as she stepped out into the dining area of the hotel. All around was maroon carpet and shiny black finish, gold inlay and waiters and waitresses hustling. Business people sat and chattered at tables or stood talking about getting rooms at the receptionist desk. But she didn't see anyone she knew, even offhand.

Shaking her head, the acrobat walked towards the hostess stand and waited, smiling vaguely at the girl who arrived to seat her. Gesturing, the woman led her to a booth lined at the back by ferns and flowers. Cathy sat and blinked as a holographic menu appeared hovering in the air over the table, the Cyrillic alphabet flashing at her. "Um, hmm . . ." looking down at the table, she saw a button, pressed it, and watched a panel slide back, revealing a small keypad. She pressed a key to change the language from Russian to English. _There. Now I just . . . will have breakfast all by myself. _ Her fake smile fell and she looked sadly at the floating menu.

"Good morning!" came a throaty female voice, and Catherine jumped a bit in the booth. "Sorry," continued the woman, and Cathy raised her head to see the Preventer agent, Sally Po, standing over her, hands on her hips and a grin across her lipstick-lined mouth.

"Um, morning," the acrobat tried to smile, and waved. "Almost afternoon, really." _And do you suppose I can find anyone? Nooo . . . ._

An eyebrow quirked on the woman's perfect face, and she said, "I'm surprised to see you alone. Where is everyone else?" She then added, "And, mind if I sit down?"

"Um, no of course, please," Cathy beamed and waved her hand at the booth seat across from her. "Sorry, I'm actually a bit distracted by that very question," she felt her lips drop into a scowl. "Where did they run off to? Couldn't they have woken me up first and asked me if I wanted to come? The first time I get a vacation in who knows how long and Trowa up and abandons me!" she ranted, then forced herself to calm. "Sorry, again," she sighed.

"Wow," Sally blinked at her, then smiled back, her light blue eyes a mirror of Cathy's own. "Well, did you try calling them?" she asked.

Catherine glanced away and chuckled nervously. _Forgot about that . . . _ "Um . . . no? But still, they should have woken me up! I was totally ditched!" She frowned again, glaring down at the tiny keypad.

Just then the waitress chose that moment to take her order, and Catherine quickly picked something new from the menu. "Um, that sounds good. _Pelmeni_. Never had it before, but I'm sure I'll like it." The waitress left after Sally ordered something for lunch, and Cathy bit her lip as she turned off the holo-projection. "I _hope_ I like it . . ."

"If not," Sally told her, "we'll just order you something else. No charge, on the Preventers." She gave Cathy what was certainly supposed to be a reassuring smile, but the trapeze artist wasn't fooled.

Shaking her head, she retorted, "Now, that's another weird thing. You can't be serious that your Director Une is willing to shell out all this money just on the off chance one of the guys will join." Nodding to the waitress as she brought their drinks, Cathy added, "You're spending an awful lot of cash on a big risk."

"Perhaps. But there's also a strong chance that some of you will make that choice to join the Preventers," Po told her.

"Some of 'us'?" Catherine frowned, raising a brow as she sipped her iced tea. "You mean, me too?"

"Yes, you too," the doctor chuckled. "You would have a lot to give, and you wouldn't have to even be in the line of duty to work for us, Cathy. It's always something to consider."

"I donno . . ." she shook her head. "I _like_ being a circus performer. It's fun. I don't know if I'd want to do something else."

"Well, eventually you might decide it's safer," Sally smiled. "After all, it's a dangerous job. It gets more dangerous every year as you age, your muscles and bones aren't as strong, reflexes aren't as sure . . ."

Catherine's hackles rose and she pouted, snapping, "it's only dangerous if you don't know what you're doing!" But she knew Sally was correct. Many tightrope walkers and acrobats either retired once they felt their decline settling in, or they . . . kept going until there was an accident. Cathy shivered and returned to nursing her tea, unsettled by the thought so far into the future.

"I'm sorry," Sally gave her a sympathetic look. "I didn't mean to upset you. You'll have a whole year to think about your answer. After that, it's up to you and Trowa as to whether you join."

Exhaling deeply, Cathy stared down at her drink, suddenly sad. "I don't want Trowa to join. It hurts him . . . when he fights. It's not good for him to kill people," she finished, whispering forcefully.

Sally's easygoing expression didn't change. "I understand completely. And that's fine. But you don't really need to worry about that as much as you might think. The Preventers don't kill, we arrest. We aren't judge, jury and executioner - we're not Judge Dread," she chuckled cheerily. "We're more like an earth-sphere-wide police force, like how the FBI used to be. Our kill-verses-capture ratio is actually very low; we're very safe. In any case," she concluded as the food arrived, "that will all be up to Trowa and yourself. Give yourselves the year to consider it. You just might surprise yourself."

(-(-(-)-)-)

Quatre and Trowa were almost to the hotel with their purchases when Quatre's phone rang. "I wonder if that's Relena," he mentioned to Trowa as they crossed a street, and gathered his bags to one hand in order to retrieve his cell'. "I told her I'd call her."

Upon checking, however, the number came up unlisted, and he answered with trepidation. "Hello?"

Silence hung on the line for just a moment as they entered a bustling crowd, before a familiar voice murmured, _"Hello, Quatre."_

The blond boy halted in place, then tripped forward as someone behind him couldn't stop fast enough, and curses sounded around him as traffic began parting around his stunned figure. "Uh, Miss Catalonia! What - a surprise," he stumbled over the words, sending a panicked glance to his companion who had stepped to the edge of the curb to keep out of the way of the other pedestrians.

"_Isn't it? You wouldn't believe how difficult it was for me to find your new number."_

Trowa gestured to Quatre to keep walking, and the trillionaire nodded, following him. "Really? Huh. So," he forced a jocular tone, "what can I do for you, Miss Catalonia?"

"_Oh, I just thought it might be nice to inform you that I'm going to be meeting you at the plane."_

"The . . . the plane?"

"_Why of course, silly! You know, the jet you and Miss Relena are going to be taking to Italy? Of course, I'm not sure yet whether we'll be taking a transfer flight so that we can all travel together, or if you're going to be meeting Relena in Japan first for a direct route, but either way, I'll be there!"_ Her voice sounded cheery, yet Quatre paled and could practically _feel_ the insinuated threat in her words.

"Oh. You will."

"_I'm looking forward to _seeing_ you again, Quatre."_ she purred, and he felt a cold sweat break out across his shoulders.

"Yes. I, I'm sure you are."

"_Imagine, a whole school year together. . . Oh, and please don't change your cell' again. I'd hate to be unable to chat with you about the plans over the next week if I had to try to find it again. It took me so long the last time . . . almost a month." _

"More's the pity," Quatre whispered.

"_What was that?"_ her voice asked innocently, "_I think I missed it . . ."_

"Nothing!" the blond quickly spoke as they finally reached the broad glass hotel doors. "I'm sorry, but I really have to be going now," he hurriedly told her as the doors slid open before them. "It was quite _something_ speaking with you again," he spoke over her words, "good day, Miss Catalonia." With that, he flipped the phone shut, his shoulders sagging as he and Trowa walked into the hotel.

"Having problems, I see," the tall acrobat commented as they passed through the foyer.

"Ugh," Quatre shook his head, "women. Or at least, this particular one."

Trowa smiled down at him, and pressed ahead to push through the busy crowd of guests in the lobby to head towards the elevators. "Don't worry, Quatre. You'll always have me."

"But, really!" Quatre began, gazing ardently up at his companion, "why does she have to act that way? I just can't believe the nerve of that woman!"

As they passed by the potted plants and open, airy tables of the restaurant area, an angry female voice called out from nowhere, "Having girl problems?"

Blinking, the two boys halted and turned to see Catherine storming up to them from a booth. "Well, now you have another one!" she cried, pointing furiously at them. "You _ditched_ me! And," her eyes widened as they fell to their shopping bags, "you went shopping _without me_! Ugh, the _nerve_ of you!" She then crossed her arms over her chest and glared at them both. "Well? Aren't you even going to explain yourselves, or do you have no excuse?"

Trowa said nothing, while Quatre began to stammer. "But, we didn't want to wake you, Trowa said your sleeping schedule—I mean, you normally sleep in, and we left early—and we only went to the military surplus store, really we didn't go anywhere _good_," running out of words, the blond gaped and began running a hand through his hair. "Oh, dear."

Deflating, the redhead shook her head. "Oh, it's alright. Nobody could stay mad at you! You're too adorable," she chuckled. "No wonder Trowa warmed up to you. It took forever to get him to warm up to me," she confided with a giggle. "Now come on, my, um . . . . Russian food is getting cold."

"Oh," Quatre quickly followed her as she hurried back to the table, "um, what did you order? Oh, hello, Miss Po." He beamed at the Preventer Agent at the table, then glanced back at Trowa to see his friend following, a slight smile on his lips.

"Not sure, really," Catherine bounced back into the booth, beaming now that she had forgiven them. "I can't remember what it's called! But it's good!" She picked up her fork and returned to eating as Quatre and Trowa reached the table.

The tall acrobat finally spoke softly, "May we join you?" and Catherine nodded and scooted over. Sitting next to her, Trowa continued, "I regret that our absence upset you. I hope that the next time I overlook something like that, you call me."

Quatre sat down next to Sally as she, too, gave him room, and watched in amusement as Cathy sent a glare Trowa's way. "Really, though, it was pretty boring," he added. "And I got a very, um, uncomfortable phone call not long afterwards that you are lucky you missed."

Trowa nodded to her. "I regret not missing it and I wasn't even privy to the other end of the conversation." His reward was another muffled giggle from Catherine as she continued to eat.

"So," Sally piped up from Quatre's right, "Have you two had lunch yet?"

"No, we haven't!" the blond smiled, "but we should, thank you for asking." He then waved over the waitress as Catherine's features fell guiltily for her lack of manners.

"Sorry," she added.

Trowa shook his head and nodded to the waitress as she approached. "Do not worry, Catherine."

Before anyone could order, the waitress began, "I'm sorry to do this, but I'm going to be going on my break soon." She bit her lip and pointed to another waiter across the room. "Dietrich will be your waiter for the rest of your meal."

"Um," Cathy shrugged, "okay."

"I'll go get him!" the woman beamed, then ran off.

As the four were left blinking at each other, a familiar voice interrupted the silence, "Hey guys, what'cha doin'?"

Catherine rolled her eyes and put down her fork again to turn and look behind her, only to see Duo, Hilde and Heero heading in from the foyer down the same path Trowa and Quatre had taken. "We're eating, of course," she replied haughtily to the long-haired boy.

"Hmm, food sounds good right about now," Duo exclaimed, then glanced over to his companions. "Wanna take a break? We sure covered a lot of ground today, we deserve a little respite."

"Any real food would be better than the fare Hilde subjected us to," Heero answered flatly, though Cathy could swear his eyes were twinkling as the brunette girl glared back.

"Well excuse me for trying to broaden your horizons. You're so ungrateful!" Hilde tossed up her hands as their group began to near Catherine's table, yet she didn't seem incredibly upset.

Wondering about that, Cathy waved at them as they came to a halt before the already-full table. "Hey there. Well, we'll have to move if you're gonna join us. But that's fine, I guess." _Why not, the more the merrier, right?_ she convinced herself, though she was still uncomfortable around so many virtual strangers.

Just then, their new waiter appeared, bustling through as a grin spread across his chiseled features. "Well, then, I suppose that means you all will need a bigger table, _da_?" With a sparkling smile to Catherine, he added, "Right this way."


	12. Chapter 12

Hey, we're back! And it's less than two months since we last updated! YEA!!!

(cheers all around)

This chapter will actually speed us along so that next chapter, they will arrive at the school!

On to reviews!

**Blissful trinity**: Thanks! (CEP: everyone gets a week moment, it's part of the GW series. Glad you like it!) We kinda figured that Wu Fei would start to fit Relena into his paradigm instead of changing his paradigm to fit reality, lol. Which of course, makes her a princess/empress!

**Hououza:** Boy are they all in for trouble! Glad we're back to a good level of humor, we were kinda lacking it we think. Hope things are going well for you. (CEP: the waiter is probably my favorite part of these chapters.)

**Rikku Urashima**: Rikku-chan! It's okay, we're just glad to see you reviewing again! We actually moved some of the restaurant scene to this chapter because it didn't "feel" right at the end of the prior one. But there is much more in this chapter to feast upon! (CEP: Wow, so many nice things said about us! Who paid you?)

**Omnicat**: Hmm, as for the Chinese burial rites, I searched a LONG time and it was really annoying. Eventually I found some bits and pieces of information about it. I also found out which cemetery was actually intended in Endless Waltz. (turns out there is a military Cemetery just outside of Tokyo on the bay. That's the one we used and the photos looked just like it was drawn in EW.) (CEP: yeah, the waiter's accent was inconsistent. Unfortunately, while it didn't make it into the final version, Dietrich is from Ohio. I swear! And yes, I played Duo as a highwayman. It was fun. I got to insult people.) We are really glad to see your review, Omnicat! And we hope that you like this chapter even more! (let us know how it seems)

**Chapter 12**

Earth, Moscow  
April 14th –12:17 am

Within a few minutes, their drinks had arrived. With a sweeping motion, the platinum-haired waiter slid the tray of beverages onto the table, "Here ve go, your drinks. Ladies first, of course," he winked at Catherine, then waggled his eyebrows at Hilde and Sally. "For the statuesque blonde," he began, handing Sally a tall glass, "a frappuccino. For the fiery redhead – and aren't they all – a diet cola," he winked again with a bright blue eye and passed her the drink, ignoring the variety of curious and frosty looks from the males at the table, "and for the midnight beauty," he smirked at Hilde, "freshly brewed iced tea."

Dietrich's grin widened as Duo's expression began to darken, but he seemed to ignore it as he passed out the rest of the beverages. "Two waters," he handed one each to Trowa and Heero, "and a sweetened iced tea," the final drink going to Duo, who took it with a suspicious glare. "Now," the blond man took a small notebook out of his pocket, "if you are ready, I will take your orders." Just as Duo opened his mouth, Dietrich waved a hand, "Ah, vait. The orders of these three beautiful and lovely sisters must be taken first. After all, ve are all gentlemen here, _da_?"

Duo's frown deepened into a scowl, and the girls grinned while Heero watched on impassively with Quatre's giggling as background noise. "Now, just a minute here, buddy. What makes you think that _they're_ sisters? They don't even _look_ alike."

"You mean they are not?" the waiter exclaimed, eyes wide and hand over his heart. "_Bozhe moi,_ how can such divine beauty not be genetic? Truly I, and all of Moscow have been blessed to have three angels appear at the same place at once. And one of them," his aquamarine eyes fell to Sally suggestively, "a Preventer agent, no less. You must have the criminals practically begging to be arrested by your loveliness."

Catherine began to laugh at the appreciative flush crossing Sally's face and the sound of Duo cracking his knuckles, then blinked in surprise as Trowa cleared his throat. When she turned to face him, she found him leveling a cold stare at the waiter, his shoulders tense.

"Oh," Dietrich interrupted any further reaction, "your beauty has distracted me from my job, I do apologize. I must take your orders quickly, lest I lose complete control of my senses."

"Yeah," Duo growled low, idly playing with his fork, "like yer eyesight."

Next to him, Hilde snapped, "Duo!" earning her an annoyed glance from the pilot.

Without warning, Heero suddenly spoke. "I'll have a cheeseburger. With fries."

As everyone blinked and looked at him in confusion, Duo followed suit. "I'll have this thing that starts with an X but has an extra line thingy," he said, pointing at the holographic menu. "With fries."

With that, Hilde turned to glare at him. "Dummy. You're supposed to press the button for English, not Russian."

Duo leaned back in the booth and crossed his hands behind his head. "Probably. With fries."

(-(-(-)-)-)

About an hour later, the septuplet were pushing back their plates, and Sally cleared her throat as the busboy appeared swiftly to dispose of the dinnerware. "Well, I hate to bring business into this little gathering, but I figured now was as good of a time as any, since I have you all here together."

Duo piped up, "You'd better hurry before Romeo comes back," he smirked sourly. "Any second now, and he'll have completed his mass love poem for y'all."

Raising a brow, Sally nodded. "Not much to tell, except that due to the possible recognition of the name 'Trowa Barton', we've decided to give you," she turned her attention to the taller pilot instead, "the surname of Bloom, since the two of you view yourselves as siblings, anyhow. I hope that won't be a problem?"

"Um, no!" Catherine smiled back. "Not a problem for me, anyhow." Trowa nodded his agreement, and Sally continued.

"Equally," the female agent went on, "because of the fame of the name Yui, we've decided to go a similar route to what we've done with Catherine and Trowa." She turned and looked past the others to where Heero sat quietly. "You'll now have the dubious honor of being 'Heero Maxwell', Duo's 'slightly older' half-brother. Congratulations." A spatter of female laughter from the rest of the table followed her words.

"Wonderful," Heero monotoned, with an annoyed glance at his new sibling.

"Hey," Duo exclaimed, straightening in the booth, "how come he gets to be the older one?"

Sally raised a brow and chuckled. "Because he's more mature than you are, by far. No one in their right mind would believe _you_ were the eldest son."

"Aw, man," the braided teen slumped over the table as chuckles spread throughout the group. "jerks."

"Ah," Dietrich appeared at the table, a broad grin on his face, "good to see everyone in such high spirits!" His eyes twinkled as Trowa's cheer vanished and Duo turned a baleful glare upon him. "Time for dessert, _da_?" This time he held out a small plastic menu, slowly waving it before him as if its nearness might entice his audience. "We all only live once, why not indulge?"

"Actually," Trowa spoke up, tone calm but cool, "I disagree. There is no proof that we don't have multiple lives."

Clearing her throat, Cathy quickly interjected, "Well, _I'll _get something, whether I have multiple lives or not." She beamed cheerily at the handsome waiter.

Trowa leaned forward a bit from where he sat next to her, blocking her view of Dietrich. "You shouldn't," he whispered softly. "You have to watch your figure, Cathy."

The acrobat turned surprised eyes to him. "Trowa! Since when do _you_ worry about _my_ figure?" She then looked up and beamed at Dietrich. "I'll have a big slice of chocolate cake. You have that, right?"

"How about," the waiter began as Trowa's eyes narrowed, "German chocolate? With whipped cream? You look like a whipped cream type of girl," he added, giving her a smoldering look that sent a pleased flush across her cheeks.

Not reacting to Duo's low whistle, Trowa persevered. "No, she isn't. And chocolate isn't good for her." He appeared unfazed by Cathy's deepening glower.

"Trowa," the redhead exclaimed as Quatre and the other girls giggled, "you're not my _mo_ther! I'd _love_ some whipped cream," she told Dietrich with a forced smile. "Thank you!"

Dietrich's suave demeanor finally began to crack a bit as he chuckled nervously. "Of course . . . _duu shienka._"

At this, Trowa's hazel eyes tightened, and he turned in the booth to face the man fully. "Excuse me, but I don't believe that's appropriate," he warned softly. "She is not your 'darling'."

"Trowa!" Catherine exclaimed, flushing with embarrassment, "what is _wrong_ with you?!"

The pilot swiftly turned back to stare at her. "I am fine," he retorted, tone even but eyes shifting a vivid emerald. "I simply don't understand why you are flirting with the wait-staff so brazenly."

Cathy growled in frustration, tugging at her curls. "There was _ONLY._ _ONE. WAITER_," she cried. "Unless you think I was hitting on the_girl_ from earlier!"

"Whoa," Duo butted in, hands in the air, "easy there, Trowa. He's just a waiter, it's not like he's a Chippendale or somethin'."

"Though," Hilde amended, "he _could_ be."

With a startled jerk, Duo snapped at her, "What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

Quatre and Sally shared worried glances across the table just as Heero cleared his throat. "Hey." He leveled his Prussian gaze at the waiter. "She ordered some cake." Heero's eyes narrowed further. "Go get it."

Under Heero's weighty stare, Dietrich nodded swiftly. "_Da, da_, I'll just – I'll be right back with that."

"Oh," Sally called after him, "and bring me a cup of coffee. Very black coffee."

Heero gazed after him until he vanished around a corner, then leaned back in the booth and resumed his bored expression. "There. You two can cut it out, now."

Cathy turned her glare to Heero and demanded, "What exactly do you mean? _I'm_ not doing _anything,_ it's all Trowa's fault!"

Sitting straighter in his seat, Trowa pointed out haughtily, "You're encouraging the wait-staff to flirt with you."

"Wow," Duo murmured to Hilde, "Ain't never seen Trowa get this bent outta shape before."

"Hey!" Catherine's ire returned to Trowa, "it's my prerogative if I want to flirt with a waiter!"

As Trowa opened his mouth to retort, a familiar low voice interrupted.

"Now who's making a lovely couple?" Wu Fei drawled as he stepped in front of their table, and all eyes turned to find him standing before them in his Preventer uniform, a smug smile upon his face. "It appears that a lot's happened in my absence."

Sally nodded, crossing her arms over her chest. "Welcome back, have a seat. You missed the opening act, but there might be an encore." She scooted over in the large booth and grinned to see both Cathy and Trowa shoot her uncomfortable looks before they pointedly ignored each other.

Nodding back, Wu Fei sat down next to her, saying, "I got your text message. Though I fail to see why you spend so many hours out of the office. This hardly counts as on-the-job."

"Shows what you know," she replied cheerfully. "Have you eaten?"

"Just some snacks on the shuttle over," the younger agent muttered, then watched half-heartedly as Sally blinked before taking out her cell-phone to began pressing buttons on it, apparently receiving a new text message. "But it doesn't sound like a wise idea to call over the waiter," he finished ruefully.

Across the table, Duo and Hilde began to chat as Sally continued to stare down at her cell-phone's screen, replying absently, "He'll be returning soon, anyway, so you might as well order something. You've been missing meals." Satisfied with whatever she was reading on her phone, the female agent put it away and smiled at her mostly silent companions. "Cheery group, isn't it?" she asked them all, earning her looks ranging from embarrassed to sullen. Her periwinkle eyes met Quatre's worried blue, and she nodded once to him, before turning a glittering smile upon Wu Fei. "Surely, Wu Fei, you were able to take a small break and get something to eat during your assignment."

His dark eyes narrowed at her. "I was busy."

"Well," Sally murmured thoughtfully, "it would appear then that I'll have to have a chat with our Vice Foreign Minister about how she's abusing my underlings."

"Stop calling me your underling," he hissed.

"What a slave driver she is," Sally mused, ignoring him. "Or you're just _very_ dedicated."

Across the table, Heero's expression began to darken, just as the waiter turned the corner with a tray of chocolate cake, and a cup of coffee. "Ah," the blond man winced while trying to smile, "here we are! Oh, and you have increased your numbers, I see," he beamed at Wu Fei, who looked back with a snide smirk. "So," Dietrich chuckled nervously, "German chocolate cake," he placed the plate down and carefully maneuvered it towards Catherine, edging as far from Trowa as possible, "and a coffee for the lovely Preventer." He put down the coffee in front of Sally, who gleefully slid it towards Wu Fei instead.

"Oh look, Wu Fei," she murmured, "he called you lovely, you should thank him."

Glaring back as she laughed at him, Wu Fei nevertheless took a sip of the drink, muttering "Woman," under his breath in a warning tone.

Dietrich chose that moment to make his escape, so Sally returned to her topic. "So, how _is_ Relena doing these days?" she asked, ignoring the glares she began to receive from Duo as well as Heero this time. "She seems to be keeping both you and herself pretty busy."

"What do you expect?" the shorter young man grumbled as he drank his coffee. "If it's not political, it's personal. If it's not personal, it's charity. Usually it somehow becomes all three before the day is over."

Quatre uncomfortably joined the conversation by commenting, "But I know for a fact that Relena truly appreciates having you as her bodyguard," before casting a uneasy eye towards where Heero sat at the other end of the open-sided booth. "It's not easy to find someone as well versed." Hearing his own words, the Arabian winced, then looked down guiltily at the table.

Wu Fei simply snorted into his coffee. "Clearly she's neglected to tell you about all of the differences of opinion we have. It's not all a bed of roses. Not only do I practically have to drag her out of bed in the morning, I'm often forced to pick out her ensemble for the day, and_then_ make sure she eats breakfast. If anything, _I'm _ the slave driver. With a very recalcitrant slave. It's hardly being a bodyguard at all."

Once more seemingly oblivious to the escalating emotional undercurrents that were practically tangible from Heero and a sympathetic Duo, Sally continued, "Oh, it can't be that bad, Wu Fei. You still get to protect her from all the men that throw themselves at her, right? Like that one boy . . . what was his name? William? That kept sending her entire greenhouses of flowers in a desperate attempt to win her affections?"

Wu Fei's glare, while directed towards Sally, seemed to be from ire resulting elsewhere. "You have no idea – it's infuriating. Do you know that half the flowers he sends her, she's allergic to? Not that she'd tell him, but you would think he'd be thoughtful enough to ask, first. Assassins are one thing, but if she dies from anaphylactic shock due to flower pollen in those insipid bouquets he sends her, there won't be a trial. I'll kill him myself."

"So," Sally mused, "that's why you requested those vials of epinephrine."

"Well," the other Preventer murmured, "if her heart should stop, I felt it prudent to—"

Suddenly, the sound of clothing shifting as someone stood up interrupted his words, and all turned to see Heero's back as he stalked from the table, his stride tense and angry as he disappeared into the crowds of hotel patrons.

Standing as well, Duo slapped his hands down on the table and glowered at Sally and Wu Fei now that Heero had gone. "What the _hell's_ wrong with you guys? Were you _tryin'_ to piss him off, or are you guys just_stupid_?"

Sally blinked up at him, then pointed at herself, "Former," then at the Preventer to her left, "latter."

"What?" sputtered Wu Fei, looking confused. "So, he got upset. Big deal. And don't call me stupid, _woman_," he snapped at Sally. "Beyond that, Duo, no: I wasn't intending on him getting offended, but it's hardly _my_ fault he's overly sensitive. And considering all that he's done, it's the least he deserves." He took another pull of his coffee as if to stress the point, ignoring the standing pilot.

Glaring over Hilde and Sally's heads, Duo snapped, "What he's _done_? It's more like what's been done to _him_! You've got a lotta nerve, and you'd better start explaining _now_ why you think—"

"Duo," Hilde rose also to touch his arm and block the Chinese agent from his view, "calm down! It's okay, we'll go make sure he's alright. But you don't want to get kicked out of the restaurant, do you?" She put a finger to her lips and shushed him, eyes glancing to either side at the curious patrons that watched from the nearby tables. "Six-inch voices."

"Yeah, yeah," the braided teen returned to his seat, his shoulders curving forward tensely and expression dark as Hilde followed suit. "'Six-inch voices' my ass."

"Sally," Trowa spoke up then, "why _were _ you trying to perturb Heero? Is this about Relena going to the same prep school that we are?"

"What!" both Duo and Hilde exclaimed, while Catherine's eyes widened in surprise and Quatre sighed heavily. "You can't be serious," Duo continued, violet eyes snapping, "they'll never go for it, you're gonna have the worst public relations fiasco since _WE _showed up! They'll both walk in, take one look at each other and walk right back out! Either that or they'll forget themselves and lay into each other like there's no tomorrow, 'til one or both need to be mopped up off the floor!"

"But," the blond teen quickly interrupted, "that's exactly _why_ we were trying to get Heero upset," at this, his expression collapsed into intense guilt. "We needed to talk with everyone here to come up with a solution so that they _don't_ end up as you've described. And as much as it hurts to wound Heero like that, it was a really good idea . . . Sally," he added softly, looking down at the table.

"Oh, I see," Duo muttered, "so I can thank _you_ for this, Sally. Couldn't you have thought of something else? Maybe something less _traumatic_?"

"Well," Quatre stuttered before Sally could reply, "I was contemplating a pretend sleepover, with lots of activities that Heero would never agree to participate in, like spin-the-bottle, or male makeovers . . . but when I saw that we were all together, I suggested to Sally that perhaps _now_ would be good, if only we could get him to leave. It worked . . . I just wish we could have done it in another way."

Sally looked thoughtful at this. "Hmm, though a male makeover party _would_ be fun. Don't you think, Wu Fei?"

"Horrible idea," Wu Fei glared instead at Quatre. "I should never have trusted you to come up with a plan. I should have done it myself. It would definitely have _not_ included woman's cosmetics. Or_kissing._"

"Oh, great," Duo sneered, arms folded tightly over his chest. "These are the plans you came up with. 'kissy-face-makeup-time' and 'stab the patient'. Good work, guys."

Wu Fei shook his head, eyes narrowing. "It's infuriating to agree with you, Duo, but I'm afraid I must in this situation." With his words, Quatre, Sally and Duo all began to speak at once as the discussion degraded into chaos.

"Okay," Hilde stood suddenly, silencing the others, "you guys can argue who's responsible all night long, and we'll never get anywhere. Or we can all _talk_ about this, and figure out a _real_ plan on what to do when Relena and Heero see each other at the school. Just for the record," she continued, "it wasn't right to use Heero's concern for Relena to make him leave. But now that he's _gone_, we should do right by him and try to make their encounter as stress-free as possible."

Trowa nodded in the resulting quiet. "You're quite right, Hilde. Both of them must face the demons they see in each other, or they will find no peace in their souls."

"Okay, alright," Duo muttered, raising his hands to gesture as he spoke. "If we're gonna do this, we're gonna do it right. I say we get them to meet privately, with nobody watchin' them. People around will just make them more stressed out, especially the paparazzi."

Quatre shook his head. "I don't know. In private, they may choose to both leave. Relena at least, would be forced to be polite if it were a public venue."

"Beyond that," Sally interrupted Duo's open-mouthed attempt to reply, "there's more at stake. Much more." She stared at each and every one of them firmly as she spoke. "Heero may get upset, but if Relena is seen poorly by the press, it could cost her career. She _must_ not appear weak _or_ immature, and if she were to leave the school immediately upon arrival, she's going to come across as either a rash teenager, or a weak-willed little girl who cracked under the first sign of 'high school' pressure."

Everyone but Wu Fei blinked in surprise to hear this, before Quatre sighed and leaned back in the booth. "You're right. I hadn't thought of how the press might misuse such information, not to mention her opponents in the senate. I should have, though. I was mostly considering how the rags might abuse it, and I had hoped that Relena would choose a bit of stress over the media fiasco it would cause."

Duo growled. "I can't believe we're even _having_ this conversation."

"But we have to," Hilde told him. "Trowa's right. It's time Relena got a chance to either move on, or move up. And she can't do that without dealing with her feelings for Heero. And it's not as if he doesn't have feelings in return. I just can't buy that he feels nothing."

Sipping his tea, Wu Fei muttered, "He is practically a computer. Any true man, upon learning what turmoil he had caused, would have immediately done the proper thing and asked her to marry him. A woman so devoted is a treasure few acquire within their lifetime." He raised his head to find Cathy and Hilde looking at him with curious, yet almost confused expressions. "What?" he spat.

Duo took a wrapped straw and blew the paper from it into Wu Fei's hair. "Focus!"

Blinking, Cathy shook her head and finally gave her comment. "I . . . I don't know much about either of them. I think I know the least. But . . . guys don't handle things well all the time. I know that much." She cast a raised brow towards her right, where Trowa sat, but he seemed unfazed. "You guys were all teasing, commenting, or complaining about the fact that Heero _cares_ about Relena in _some way_. Now you're telling me that you're arguing over whether it's true? If he likes her, he's clearly confused or conflicted over what to do about it. Can any of you say you wouldn't feel the same if _you_ liked someone?"

An embarrassed quiet settled over the group as everyone looked down or away in shame. With another sigh, Duo shook his braided head and muttered, "Red's right. We all know the truth about Heero and Relena. I just don't like the idea of them being watched by the media when they meet. It'll make'em real tense. Who knows how they'll react."

"But," Sally added, "we can't let Relena use it as an excuse to vanish. And Une really wants the chance to get Heero to join the Preventers. He's got no future otherwise, and he needs the services we can provide, such as a stable job and medical care. Not to mention a purpose to his life that should keep him from eventually 'going postal'. So how do we keep them both at the school?"

Everyone shared uncertain glances, until Trowa spoke up. "We must appeal to their natures. I do not see Heero 'losing it' should he meet Relena in a public forum. The worst that may happen is that he will turn around and attempt to leave. Relena, however, will do anything but leave with an audience. They are both skilled at keeping their calm.

"I think, Duo, that your take on this is a severe over-reaction. They will not fight – so we must keep them ignorant of our plan until the moment they arrive and Relena is swarmed by the media. The media will keep Relena in check. We will have to do the same for Heero. And here is how I propose we do it . . ."

(-(-(-)-)-)

Earth, Moscow  
April 20th – 2:08 am  
_Five days later . . ._

Hilde felt herself slipping away from her dream as she was shook awake. Blinking and yawning, she pushed at the warm hand on her shoulder, then grabbed it. "Duo," she murmured, closing her eyes again.

"Hey, babe, how'd you know it was me?" his voice whispered low in the darkness.

"Hmm?" _What's he talkin' about?_ her mind garbled, before she forced her eyes open wide and pulled herself up from her bed. "Duo? What's wrong? Are you okay?" _And why are you in my room again?_

His silhouette shrugged in the darkness of her hotel room, and he replied, "Well . . . I'm just havin' trouble sleepin' knowin' what we're gonna be doin' tomorrow. I . . . I was hopin' that you'd let me stay with you tonight. I might be able to sleep, then," he chuckled abashedly.

Rubbing the grit from her eyes, the brunette nodded and waved him forward. "Okay, come on." She made room in the bed and turned to watch his shadowed figure as he began to strip off his shirt and pants, annoyed when her heart started to race at the line of his muscled arms against the dusky room beyond. _Nope, not sexy. Not at all._

Finally, when Hilde was practically wide awake at the blood thrumming through her veins, Duo slipped between the covers and quickly crossed the length of the bed to wrap her into his arms before she could voice a protest. "Thanks, baby. I really appreciate it."

"N-no problem," she blushed, hugging him back and relishing the sensation of his hot flesh beneath her fingers. _He should be illegal. An illicit drug: Duo Maxwell. _"So, if you were having trouble sleeping because of the plan, why didn't you tell me right when it started?"

"Well," his smooth bass voice murmured into her ear, "the past couple'a days I slept alright. It wasn't until tonight – you know, the night before our plane trip and the hell we're gonna cause – that I just got the jitters."

She nodded and closed her eyes, relaxing into his embrace as she inhaled his sweet musky scent. "I understand. Don't worry, everything will work out okay."

"Will it? I sure hope so, Hilde," he muttered. "Otherwise, Relena and Heero are gonna hate us all forever." He shivered in her arms at the thought.

"Not a chance, Duo," Hilde whispered, unable to resist rubbing her cheek against his bare chest and sighing happily. "They aren't like that. You'll see. They care about us. . . They care about you. Just like I do."

"Okay," he replied, and fell silent.

In the comfortable quiet remaining, Hilde fell back into a deep slumber, reassured by the protection of his solid arms around her and the homey perfume of his essence buoying her into oblivion.

(-(-(-)-)-)

Earth, Izumo  
April 20th – 8:12 am

"Do you realize, Agent Carter," Wu Fei snapped from the back seat of the sedan, "that you can drive ten kilometers above the posted speed limit_ without_ getting a ticket? Drive faster. We don't have all day."

"Um, sorry sir," the dark-haired man in the driver's seat stuttered. "Just trying to obey the law."

Wu Fei and Quatre sat in the rear of a police cruiser that Agent Carter had borrowed from the local constabulary in order to pick them up at the Izumo Airport, and then drop them off at the Dorlan residence. Wu Fei would have preferred to drive himself, but there was only so much money Une would allow him to spend, and a rental would have to be driven back by either Quatre or Wu Fei. That just wouldn't do.

"We are in a police vehicle," the young Asian seethed, "No one is going to pull us over."

"But," Carter began, "it's not right to abuse that . . ."

"As a Preventer agent," interrupted Wu Fei, "I would have expected you to understand that some rules can be bent slightly to achieve the required goal. You disappoint me, Carter. _Again._"

Beside him, the blond trillionaire winced in sympathy. "Wu Fei, must you be so harsh?" he spoke softly under the repeated apologies of their driver. _He must be irritable because of how early we had to leave to catch that shuttle. Ug, two in the morning. _

"Yes," Wu Fei retorted, suppressing a yawn as he did so. "He only learns through pain and suffering. I discovered that the hard way. Being nice only increases his likelihood of slacking off." He raised a brow at Quatre as the car began to accelerate slightly. "See? It works like a charm. So," he began anew, "Have you girded yourself appropriately for our encounter?"

"Um," Quatre murmured, his azure eyes narrowed in disturbed confusion, "I . . . suppose?" He blinked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. _Glad I caught that quick nap, but I'm still exhausted. Wu Fei seems to be taking it well._

Sighing, Wu Fei shook his head and turned to the window. "I meant your confrontation with Dorothy Catalonia."

"Oh," the blond stared at him incredulously. Allowing a yawn himself, Quatre murmured, "Well, I'm not wearing a cup, if that's what you mean."

The agent stared at the ceiling of the car with annoyance. "I am speaking metaphorically. Though some armor might help. Maybe a chastity belt."

Quatre shook his head. "But, Wu Fei, Dorothy would never submit to wearing _that_."

"I meant for _you_," snorted the Chinese man. "It might delay her, at least."

Staring in horror, Quatre whispered, "I don't really feel comfortable talking about this. Being behind this cage is bad enough for my paranoia without bringing _Dorothy_ into it."

"Yes," Wu Fei monotoned, "being away from the wheel while _Carter_ is driving makes me paranoid as well. Every guard-rail we pass causes my life to flash before my eyes," Wu Fei sighed with mock-exasperation. "God, I need some coffee."

"Actually," Quatre winced and rubbed the back of his neck, "I was more having nightmares about Dorothy getting her hands upon a pair of real handcuffs. Or _ten_."

"In that case," Wu Fei nodded resolutely, "it's a good thing I brought my bolt-cutter along."

"Sir?" Carter spoke up, his nasal voice shaking slightly.

"What is it?" snapped Wu Fei. "Did you get us killed and we never noticed?"

"No, sir," his underling muttered. "We're almost there."

"_Yes_, Carter, I _know_ these roads," the Asian sighed, onyx eyes meeting Quatre's. "You're _not a tour guide_."

Quatre frowned at his companion before saying, "_Thank you_, Agent Carter. It was very nice of you to let us know we were about to arrive." He gave Wu Fei an annoyed glance and interrupted him just as he was about to speak, "It never hurts to be polite."

"Don't coddle him," Wu Fei sighed tiredly. "It's embarrassing."

"Anyhow," Quatre glared at him as the car pulled into the drive, "I'm sure we'll be fine."

"Right. I'll handle Relena then, and you get to tackle Dorothy," Wu Fei murmured, a twisted smile on his lips. "Unless she tackles you first."

The car pulled to a stop in front of the large double doors at the top of a long set of broad stairs that spread before the mansion, and the Asian Preventer Agent quickly unsnapped his seatbelt, ignoring Quatre's affronted stare. "Finally," Wu Fei muttered as they both headed towards the entrance. "Oh, and Agent Carter!" he called behind him.

"Y-yes, sir?" the older, yet lower-ranked man groaned, shoulders slumping.

Wu Fei's eyes glittered with pleasure. "Get our things and bring them inside."

Quatre could only sigh deeply and shake his head as Carter rushed to do as told. "Wu Fei . . . I just can't believe you, sometimes."

"Angst builds character," the Asian teen informed him coolly. "And speaking of which . . ." he gestured to the door, "after you."

With wide eyes, the blond stared up at the doors, then took a deep breath, and began to knock.


	13. Chapter 13

Argh, 6 months . . . sorry it's taken so long. It's been a hard road, but instead of making sad excuses, it's . . . .

Time for reviews!

**Liz**: We love you, Liz! We are so glad you love Wu Fei! We love him too, he's hilarious. It's funny what happens when you give Wu Fei some stability, he just seems to get a sense of humor, too. At least, that's how we view him. I'm so sorry it took so long for a new chapter! Hopefully (crosses fingers) the next one will be sooner. PS: we loved that line "did you get us killed and we never noticed" too.

As for Trowa and Cathy, it's still kind of up in the air about that. It might be that Trowa is getting jealous in a romantic way, but it also might be that he's starting to grow a little and is jealous over her in a friend way. Of course, in our reality, there is no guarantee that they are related (and really, in Ep 0, there isn't a certainty either, only an insinuation) so it's possible something romantic may develop there. Of course, they are all teenagers, so ANYTHING may develop! As you may have noticed, there's a bit of sexual tension between just about everyone. Time for Quatre to confront Dorothy! It'll be an interesting ride!

**Mousery** and **Wen**: Thanks! Hope you come back for more!

**Hououza**: I think you'll enjoy how Quatre reacts, though I wish we could have had more in this chapter. There are just too many characters for us to get to them all in depth (which is proving to make this a challenging fanfic to write!) But we hope to get to them all soon.

**crystalline tears**: I hope the last part of this chapter serves you well then, with some Sally development. We made sure to put that in just for you!!

**blissful trinity**: We love Wu Fei too! It's crazy, he seems so serious, but he's smart, so we figured he would tend to feel more comfortable and BAM time for humor!

**Omnicat**: I still wuv you! Sorry about the Heero/Relena torment. It's just that there are certain things that must happen first that we're planning to be funny – and interesting – before then. Though as for what happened at the wedding, we were considering having a "flash-back/home movie" of the event compiled by either Pagan or Une. As for Trowa, we certainly feel that he might be stepping into a new turning point for his emotions. After all, in EW he clearly rescued not just Cathy but all of the circus people, so he started to care about them. And really, is having a piece of cake comparable to traveling across Europe to apologize for killing innocent people? It's not the decision that Trowa was arguing, it was a feeling of loss of control (or perhaps loss of Cathy) that was overcoming him. Whether that even needs to be romantic or not . . . I don't think it does. And as for Heero, he didn't say anything because I don't think Heero would feel he had a right to complain. Nobody said he wasn't imagining plans, lol. But he's not the type to walk into a bad situation verbally. Perhaps I just portray him differently, but I don't see him as being naïve about responsibilities.

(ahem) second review: Wu Fei, finding a kindred soul in Quatre? No, he was enjoying looking at Quatre's expression of mortification and annoyance as he belittled Carter. That's pure gold, can't miss out on that. Lol, and now I am imagining a drunk Hilde trying to get Duo regulated. thanks for the review! (hugs)

**Katreda**: Well I can't say much about Dorothy, but she is always the crafty, suspicious one, isn't she? Quatre and Dorothy need another match, don't they? Maybe with bigger swords this time! Lol We hope you enjoy the next part!

**Gleep**! Nice to see you! Hope you read more than the first chapter. I know humor isn't quite your cup of tea, but hopefully there is some more interesting stuff for you here that you can find. Thanks for the comment, it's true that was a bit common. As soon as I ever get around to re-uploading, I'll alter some chapters to make them smoother. Though I'll be honest, nobody criticizes much of anything that we do, so it's hard to change! We really appreciate it though!

**AriesAngel169**: So glad you love it! The couples are seriously going to be mixed up because we're taking this from the POV that they are real teenagers. We like Sally and Wu Fei too, and you'll see, in the end people may very well end up with their canon pairings. Glad you like Dorothy and Quatre, too, we do as well. They are going to have interesting situations together. Everyone is, really. In fact, you may not have noticed it, but Quatre is also feeling some emotion for Relena, and Cathy had a moment with Wu Fei herself. I wonder how you'll feel about her moment with Heero in this chapter!

Second review: sorry about Quatre and Dorothy. But the next chapter should be fun. I wish we had more time for that. As for the listing of the chapter, we change the pairing listing every chapter for who the chapter features. Since there was a quatrexDorothy cliffy, and the quote was about it, we named them the "feature couple" of that chapter. They are a complex coupling, so they might take a while to develop more! Please review again, we loved your long reviews!!

* * *

**Chapter 13**

Earth, Izumo  
April 20th – 8:19 am

Quatre stood before the broad double doors, and waited nervously for an answer. Within moments of his knocking, the intercom came on, and they could hear Pagan's voice saying, _"Who is it?"_

Taking a step towards the well-disguised intercom, Quatre pushed the button. "Quatre Winner and Wu Fei Chang."

_"Alright, a security detail will let you in momentarily."_

After only a minute, the doors swung open inwardly, and the two teenagers were greeted by the sight of an aging Pagan standing between two armed men. Neither of their weapons were drawn, but they stepped out and began checking around the front of the house past Wu Fei and Quatre.

"Please enter," Pagan smiled at them kindly. "Miss Relena and Miss Dorothy are looking forward to seeing you."

Quatre nodded and adjusted his suit-coat uncomfortably at the mention of Dorothy. _At least it adds another layer of prevention. But I feel unnecessarily professional when wearing this. _"Thank you."

Wu Fei brushed past him, nodding deeply to Pagan before entering the building. "Yes, we should be on our way shortly. Thank you, Pagan. Let's go, Quatre," he called behind him.

With a swallow, the trillionaire began after him, blinking as his eyes adjusted to the dimmer interior lighting. "Right behind you, Wu Fei," he muttered nervously, eyes scanning the walls to either side while he carefully crept down the hall. The door closed behind him just as Wu Fei vanished around the corner, and Quatre felt his shoulder's tense. _Where is she. . . ? I expected her to greet me at the door with a violent embrace._

Suddenly there were hands grabbing around his waist, and with a loud cry Quatre spun, drawing two guns from their shoulder holsters and pointing them behind him—

He found himself aiming at point-blank-range directly at the face of a very surprised Dorothy Catalonia, her hands outstretched slightly towards him and a slight smirk on her face. "Dorothy?" he gasped, sweat breaking out across his brow as he quickly holstered his weapons and brought a palm to his forehead. "For heaven's sake, Dorothy," he began, voice raising swiftly, "don't _EVER_ do that! I could have _killed_ you!"

The woman shook her head, and her long platinum tresses danced behind her like a cloak. "Oh, Quatre! I know you're better than _that._ Good reflexes," she purred, and began to stalk closer to him, leading him to walk backwards down the hall. "You're looking _very_ good as well," she eyed him up and down, causing him to wince and take a glance behind him before beginning to back up faster. "I see you've been keeping in shape since the _wedding_."

Rushing around the corner Wu Fei had taken, Quatre stopped suddenly to see Wu Fei and Relena standing together. "Relena!" the blond man squeaked. "Boy, it's good to see you, how have you been?" Swiftly he moved around her and positioned the Minister between himself and the taller socialite still stalking after him.

Relena simply smiled, cerulean gaze twinkling as she met Dorothy's eyes. "I see you've found each other. But we don't have much time for games. Our flight is scheduled to leave in about an hour and a half. Let's hurry and perhaps we can leave sooner."

"Right," Wu Fei nodded firmly, then gave the taller blonde girl a dubious glare. "I'm looking forward to a brief period of rest before we arrive. I sincerely hope that won't be interrupted," he told Dorothy.

"What," she gasped, one hand upon her chest. "little old me? I wouldn't dare to interrupt your beauty sleep, Agent Chang. I'm sure there will be plenty of time to _rest_ . . . don't you think, Quatre?"

Quatre glared at her over Relena's shoulder. "I'm watching you," he muttered.

"Of course you are," Dorothy sighed regally. "What man could _possibly_ take his eyes off of me?" With that, she turned on her heel and headed for the garage, "Come on, everyone! The early bird catches the worm!" gracing her stunned companions with the sound of her raucous laugher echoing through the lower level of the house.

(-(-(-)-)-)

Earth, Moscow  
April 20th –12:17 pm

"_Attention passengers_. _Flight 92 from Moscow to Rome, Italy has been delayed to twelve twenty-five. Again, flight 92 has been delayed and is scheduled to depart at twelve twenty-five." _

"I call window seat," Duo's reflection snickered at Hilde as they looked out onto the rain-covered airfield. Drops pelted the window with a steady, soothing rhythm while workers outside rushed to ready the mid-sized plane for takeoff, their orange rain slickers standing out in the gray afternoon.

"Hey, I've never been on a plane before, either," Hilde smiled as Duo put an arm around her waist. "No fair."

"That's fine," he grinned, hugging her close, "you can sit on my lap."

She giggled but slapped lightly at his chest. "No way. You wish." Hilde watched their reflections, the gentle sound of distant thunder echoing over the tarmac. "Wow," she breathed, shaking her head. "I've never seen a real _storm_ before. The weather systems on colonies doesn't do it justice at all."

"Yeah," he agreed, Southern drawl softening as he watched in appreciation, "lawn sprinklers just don't cut it. I remember the first time I saw a storm on Earth. Hell, every day and night I'd just look around me, amazed. The stars, the blue sky, the moon, the sun rising and setting . . . After a while, I guess I started to take it for granted." Hilde frowned thoughtfully as Duo continued to speak, an unusual earnestness to his tone. "There was so much conflict going on, so much strife, I just started to forget. I spent all of my time on my work. Which is funny," his eyes narrowed in the glass, "because I was working to save the Earth-sphere, and I kinda forgot about the Earth in the process."

They watched each other in the reflection, and Hilde nodded, squeezing him where her arm had latched around his back. "And now? You're definitely getting another chance. I don't want to ever forget what rain looks like."

Duo grinned at her. "Just the rain?" he teased, and she jabbed him with her nails. "Just kidding. Yeah, I think I'm finally getting back to that. You know, Heero made me go watch the sunrise with him. Back before he vanished again, that is. But anyway, I just didn't get why . . . and then afterwards, I . . . guess I did. He's been on Earth all this time, months now. And yet he still pays attention to everything like it was the first time."

Hilde glanced behind them at the quiet airport, an odd sort of paranoia coming over her at the mention of the mysterious Yui. "I'm just glad he showed up before we left for the airport," she muttered upon finding Catherine and Trowa still seated alone in the chairs provided. As she spoke, she spotted Heero peering out at the rain from around a pillar further down the corridor, and she quickly turned back to staring out the window. "Yep, still here. For now," she grumbled.

"Believe me," Duo chuckled at that, "I think he wants this just as much as we do. At least the high school diploma part. Without it, he's in big trouble."

"I still don't see why he hasn't just gotten a crappy job somewhere," Hilde murmured, watching as a baggage cart was driven towards the plane. She searched for her luggage on it just for kicks, but didn't see it under the pile of suitcases.

"From what I've heard, he has but he keeps getting fired. He's not exactly the type for regular work. I mean, can you imagine him at McDonalds? 'You _are_ going to have fries with that.' And you know as well as I do, minimum wage still don't mean _livable_ wage."

Hilde shook her head, then let her hand wander to Duo's braid and began playing with it absently. "Still, he could have been a bouncer or something. Or gone on unemployment."

"Nah, that's the _other_ thing, the thing none of us have to worry about but him – except maybe Trowa – Heero doesn't have a social security number. He has no identity, and Une is offering to give him a real, government created one. No forging, no hacking, no faking.　No chance of being found out for what he really is."

"Is it really that hard? I thought you guys were the best of the best," she whispered as a woman and her kid walked by the window. "You hacked a bunch when you were piloting the Gundams. I thought you even got yourselves into schools."

"We just hacked the school's systems, and it was only going to last for a few weeks, tops. This is something that would have to last for decades, through hundreds of computer systems."

Hilde nodded contemplatively, tugging on Duo's braid. "I guess so. I've never had to hack something that complex. I guess I never thought about trying to permanently fool an entire governmental system."

"Makes sense. Few hackers have; usually the changes are temporary, an in and out job," he patted her and squeezed around her waist again with a smile. "But now that the Earth sphere is unified, it's even worse. All the countries are starting to combine their systems, so every name has to be scrutinized by every country, and they're extra paranoid about insurgents or terrorists threatening the new peace."

"I suppose you're right. And in a way, that's another reason I'm so excited about this. I mean, we could really make a difference again if we joined the Preventers."

"Yeah, I'd love to actually make use of all my training," Duo nodded, enthusiasm spreading his grin wide. "I have to admit it – I'm already pretty much decided. Don't tell nobody, but I'm sick of living in the slums."

"You and me both," Hilde nodded. "I'm just surprised Director Une wanted me along, too. I'm no Gundam pilot. I was just a ROTC recruit."

"Yeah, and 'little miss ROTC recruit' managed to break onto Libra, steal its blueprints and escape on one of the enemy's mobile suit carriers all without being caught." He turned his head to raise an appreciative eyebrow at her. "That's a tall order, even for one of us. You had guts and initiative. That's far more than any other gung-ho high school kid among your fellow enlisted. I'm not surprised Une's putting you in the same league as us."

"You didn't seem that impressed at the time," Hilde grumbled shyly, looking away.

"Yeah, well, I was pissed at you for sticking your neck out like that," he snapped with mild fire. "Even after all this time, it still scares me." As she opened her mouth to retort, he shook his head and sighed, cutting her off. "I know, I know. I don't have any right to tell you what to do or when to interfere. But it doesn't mean I won't rather you stay safe."

"What about _you_ staying safe?" Hilde tugged hard on his braid, satisfied when he winced. "You wouldn't let me come with you, so I decided to protect you my own way. That's what you get for going it alone. Next time, if you want to protect me you'll let me go _with_ you. _Won't_ you." It wasn't a question.

"Eeeah," he groaned, "yeah, yeah. Well if you join, you'll get that chance. Unless I'm made your superior," he smirked, "and then I'll just order you to do dishes."

"And then I'll kick your ass," she pinched his side, grinning as he bucked away from her fingers. "Jerk."

Duo's laugher filled the peaceful waiting area as he danced from her grasp. "Girls never play fair."

Just then a male voice came over the loud speaker. "_Attention passengers: Flight 92 from Moscow to Rome, Italy is now boarding families with children and passengers needing assistance. First class passengers will also be boarding at this time. Due to the rain we started out a little late, but we should arrive no later than twelve thirty local time in Rome. We'll be calling numbers soon, so be ready to board._"

"Well," Duo sighed, "time to get ready. C'mon, let's go sit by Trowa and Cathy, I think we should chat a bit before we're on the plane."

"Okay," Hilde murmured, scratching her head under her beret. "if you say so." Blinking, the brunette followed him to where he slid into a seat across from Trowa, then sat next to the braided pilot.

"Trowa, buddy, we gotta talk," Duo murmured, eyes flicking towards where Heero leaned a few meters away against a column.

The taller boy opened his eyes, hazel orbs locking onto Duo instantly. "Yes?"

Next to him Cathy glanced up from her cell-phone game and muttered, "Finally, somebody wants to talk. Trowa meditates more than an entire monastery _full of monks_."

"Right, right, but listen," Duo muttered, "I don't like this plan. It's- it's a bad plan."

"It's rather late in the game for this type of thing, Duo," Trowa admonished him calmly.

"No, not the _whole_ plan," the sepia-haired teen scoffed, "dude, I just don't think we should have them meet in public. I know we talked about it, but look at how Heero reacted after what Wu Fei _said._ Nobody saw him for almost a _week_. Hell, I wasn't even sure he was still _here_ until he just showed up with his suitcase this morning for breakfast, like he'd been here all along. We just_ can't_ do this to the both of them. No way. I ain't putting Heero _or _Relena through a media circus that could be avoided."

"But if we don't, one or both may leave," Trowa reminded him.

The girls watched uncertainly as the announcer began calling the furthest seats on the plane to board.

"Maybe _not_," Duo forced out quickly, "but we don't know-"

Hilde broke in, "He's right, it's mean to do this. And they might break, we don't _know_ how they'll react."

"Listen," Duo said finally, "we can either come up with another solution, or I'm gonna tell Heero what we're doing. We don't have time right now, but we're gonna have to find another way."

Trowa's lack of reaction gave Hilde time to add, "I agree with Duo. Relena is my friend, and Heero is now, too. There has to be another way. Come on" she lowered her voice to a hiss and leaned over, "you guys were _Gundam pilots. _You're telling me you can't come up with a solution that doesn't involve a public debacle?"

Closing his eyes in the resulting silence, Trowa murmured, "Duo's resolve to tell Heero the truth means we must determine another course. Because if Duo speaks, no one's plan will work no matter what we do. Hmm. Tactically speaking, when you wish to inflict the most damage to an enemy force," he mused, eyes still closed, "you corral them into a small contained area with no exit points. I had originally wished to avoid doing this privately as Heero is quite adept and can be viciously thorough should he feel the need, and violence was an end result I had hoped to prevent. However, I believe he will avoid violence if Relena is present, especially if the incident might embarrass her publicly."

"But," Cathy spoke up suddenly, "what if he's too upset to think about it? I don't know him real well, but everybody has their breaking point, you know?" her pale blue eyes flickered to each of them in turn. "Can we be sure he won't flip out and jump out a window or something?"

Duo winced. "She's got a point . . . it's not uncommon for Heero to leap from impossibly high windows to his death."

Trowa's mouth quirked downward as he raised a hand to his chin. "If Heero has mastered the endless torture of the Zero system, he should easily be able to handle the unexpected meeting we are planning. But Relena still might try to leave."

"_Attention__: Flight 92 from Moscow to Rome, Italy is now boarding seats twenty through twenty-five. We are now boarding twenty through twenty-five. Please have your tickets ready."_

"Damn, not much time," Duo snapped his fingers. "Cathy, do you think you can distract Heero while we board the plane?"

"How?" she looked at him incredulously.

"I donno', you had Wu Fei off balance at that surplus store, I'm sure you can handle it," he smirked.

"But that wasn't my _point_," the redhead winced with embarrassment.

"Then go make it _not your point_ with Heero," he waved his hands palm-up at her. "Go on, get!"

"And what's _that_ supposed to mean?" she hissed, eyes snapping as he laughed.

"Nothing, just go chat him up, use your charms on him. _You_ know how."

Cathy glared at him and stood huffily. "Lecher," she muttered, but took her bag and purse and headed towards where Heero stood.

"What did I say?" Duo blinked at Hilde, who shook her head. "Man, girls are so suspicious of guys," he continued. "I swear, women are _ten times_ more perverted than men."

"_Attention__: Flight 92 is now boarding seats fifteen through twenty. Please have your tickets ready."_

Hilde shook her head at Duo and grabbed her stuff. "That's us – let's go."

"You _know_ you're a pervert," Duo muttered as all three stood.

"Shut up, Duo."

­—

Heero watched the rain pour down, the drizzling rising to a hungry gale that beat against the windows in rage and forced the workers outside to hunch against the wind. He was certain that it froze them to the bone - the slick, dark water that drenched the airfield beyond the thin layer of plexiglass - and as the howling rose, he closed his eyes and envisioned the specters that all must imagine chasing after them upon the wind. _Russians are, if anything, one of the notoriously superstitious groups of peoples, _ he told himself, banishing the colorful image from his mind as soon as it appeared. _Foolish to let myself get carried away in such fantasies. _

He heard her footsteps and felt the vibration before she spoke, but didn't react to any stimuli, simply kept his eyes closed, the image in his mind. "Um, you know," her timid voice began, "I've been told Russians believe that leaving someplace while it's raining is good luck. Heh," she laughed nervously, "but, as we're going by plane, that might not be so true after all . . ."

Opening his eyes, he looked to his right, finding Cathy just where he expected her. "The storm will fade soon. You needn't worry about us crashing." _Odd, that we were thinking about a similar topic of Russian superstitions. _Frowning, Heero added, "Where did you hear that superstition?"

"Oh," her bright azure eyes flitted from him and back, "well, since it's been raining for a couple days now, I um, well I went shopping and some of the shop keepers told me that superstition when they found out about our flight out." She forced a smile, and he noted her increased heart-rate with an annoyed sigh.

"You told them about our trip?" his bass voice rose, the trace of accusation rising color in her cheeks.

"No, I only told them I was going to be leaving, I didn't say _why_ or _where_!" the redhead snapped in return. "Jeeze, you are _so_ paranoid."

Heero nodded slightly, then returned his hooded eyes to the rain. _Good, she has _some_ intellect after all. For a civilian, she's mildly impressive. _

—

Cathy sighed as she watched the young man turn his head to stare out at the storm once more. _Now what do I say? _ she wondered, biting her bottom lip in concern. Frowning considerately, she decided, _Well, maybe I should just do what I do with Trowa: since Heero refuses to talk to me, I'll just talk enough for the both of us. _

"So," she forced a smile, "I, uh, didn't get to really talk to you at the wedding."_I wonder if I shouldn't have brought that up,_ she mused in retrospect, but continued when Heero showed no reaction, his eyes unmoving from the window as he gazed out at the downpour. "I didn't get to tell you that I was glad to see that your arm healed all the way. I was kinda worried, when you left so suddenly, that you might hurt it again." _Perhaps by trying to blow yourself up again, _ she added in her mind snidely.

The brunet simply snorted. "Oh really. As I recall, you seemed more concerned about telling me that the next time we met, I'd not 'get off' so easily." He tilted his head slightly to stare at her with an unimpressed eye.

Flushing, the redhead looked away. "Well, I was _mad_ at you," she replied quietly. "You go and try to kill yourself, then as soon as you really wake up and start to get better, Trowa goes and follows your ridiculous example." Turning to face him directly as her anger rose, Cathy stepped in front of him, blocking his view of his precious rain. "I know it was a long time ago, Heero, but when you guys left it took all I had to tell myself over and over that Trowa would be back, and that he'd be okay." Staring into his direct blue eyes, she calmed. "He didn't say much about you when you were unconscious. But after he tried that stunt, I started to realize how much he must have looked up to you. He admired you. And maybe that's one of the reasons he started to calm down and not be so angry all the time, but it also is why he tried to _kill_ himself."

Heero's gaze never wavered, and his mouth turned down slightly as she stood there, feeling exposed yet wanting an answer. "Cathy." She blinked, and nodded before he continued. "A lot of people, Trowa included, thought that I had no emotions. Many still do. They see me . . . and see only control. My reasons for self-destructing were my own. Trowa's were his. But you stopped him because you cared enough. You did the right thing."

Stunned, Cathy stood and blinked at him, fumbling for how to reply. "Um . . ."

Shaking his head once, the boy sighed and leaned back against the pillar, crossing his arms over his chest, that morose expression still upon his face. "I didn't try to self-destruct because I was strong, or brave. Or because I had no feelings."

_My God, why is he telling me this? I can't believe he feels comfortable enough to be so honest. _Taking a step closer to Heero, Catherine felt compelled to touch him, to give comfort somehow. It startled her when she realized the similarity to the early weeks with Trowa: wanting to reach out, and determined to show she cared even when he almost viciously refused her affection. "Heero." Her hand fell short, her nerve still not strong enough to carry her through, and she dropped her arm. "I . . . I figured as much." She flushed and glanced away. "I . . . I'm not sure you knew, but I took care of you a lot during that month you were out."

He made a slight grunting noise, but remained silent, so she haltingly continued. "Trowa brought you back like he'd just found a stray somewhere. He wouldn't tell me who you were, but you seemed real important to him." She smiled slightly, eyes still cast aside. "The manager was nice enough to allow the circus doc to check you out. They had you hooked up to an I. V. drip for the first couple of weeks. You were in a deep coma." Her eyes rose to find his, hoping for some sign of emotion. "I didn't think you'd pull out. But you did. You were delirious, the doc said you had a high fever. But you were talking. It wasn't until the day that you . . ." she looked away. _The day you called me 'Relena.'_ "Well, in any case, that was the first day you were really aware of your surroundings."

A quiet remained once she stopped talking, and in it she could hear the flight attendant announcing the next row of seats ready for boarding. _What'll he say to that?_ she wondered, feeling her heartbeat press along her throat.

"Thank you."

Cathy blinked and stared up at him, marveling once again how similar to Trowa he was as her pulse thrummed in her ears. "You . . . You're welcome." She swallowed. "You got taller," she blurted out, then blushed heavily. "I mean . . ." _He's kinda cute when he's being nice . . . _

Heero smirked down at her, humphing softly. "I'd say the same, but it'd hardly be true. You definitely grew up, though."

Startled, Catherine peered at him intently. "Did . . . did you just . . ." _Did he just _flirt_ with me? Or is he talking about something _other_ than my figure?_

"So," the boy straightened, then unfolded his arms to grab his backpack from the floor, "tell me." He began strolling towards the boarding hatch and the slowly shortening line behind it. "Duo sent you over here, didn't he." The knowing tone made it clear it wasn't a question.

"Um, uh," the redhead winced and caught up to him. "That obvious, huh?"

"Mmm," he nodded. "Well. I hope it wasn't too boring for you."

Blinking, Cathy stared at him. "What do you mean?"

"Well, he _has_ been saying I need to meet more girls," Heero replied as he took a place in line and tossed an annoyed glance back at her.

"Ohhhh," she giggled nervously, "Right . . . To meet _girls_."

_Good . . . he doesn't suspect anything . . . I think. _

(-(-(-)-)-)

Earth, Bracciano  
April 20th –11:31 am

Sally looked out the window upon the fields passing quickly by, the low hum of the commuter train filling her ears. _Welcome to Italy, Sally Quan. _ With a sigh, she took out her new wallet and began looking over her new Italian I.D. _Birth-date is the same . . . height, weight. Better picture than my real one, _she smirked. _I wish I knew more Italian, though. This is going to be interesting._

Leaning back in the seat, she stared at the empty seat across from her. _Une wants me to relax and see this as a vacation. Somehow I think those boys and girls are going to give me ulcers instead. _With a sigh, she shook her head, then grimaced at the unfamiliar sensation of her new hairstyle. Glancing at her image in a shiny metal compartment nearby, her scowl deepened. _I look even older with my hair in a bun. But I'm going to have to try to avoid appearing similar to my true identity as much as possible. Which means no more pigtails. _ Touching the hair high on her head, Sally made a low noise in the back of her throat and intentionally turned away from the hazy reflection to glare out the window again. _When Wu Fei sees me, I'll never hear the end of it. Cue the old lady jokes._

She rifled through the wallet absently, feeling a well of loneliness washing over her again._ Guess it'll be another long while before I get my partner back,_ she thought sadly, then frowned down at the wallet. _Where are my pictures. . . Oh, right, this isn't really my wallet. _ The realization plummeted like a weight into her stomach, and she slumped into the seat, tucking the wallet back into her purse.

_The last thing I had of him, and it's gone._

At the irrational thought, Sally growled and shook her head resolutely. _That's stupid,_ she told herself. _My name, my hair, and even my home changed I can accept easily, and not look back. Why should a photograph be any different? It's just a picture. It's ridiculous to let myself get carried away like this. _

_Still . . ._

The blonde closed her eyes and pretended, for just a little while, that she was back home._ It's been three months. Hard to believe I can't stand being on my own, now. A month with a partner spoiled me, _she smiled ruefully, taking a deep breath and letting it out. _ A month with Wu Fei should have, by all rights, driven me crazy instead._

A month was all Wu Fei really needed to get accustomed to the Preventers. He soaked it up like a sponge, determined to still be of use to the Earth Sphere. As soon as possible, Une had assigned him as Relena's bodyguard, and the true test of his patience began. Sally had been impressed at how quickly her new partner grew and evolved with his important assignment, and within months he had blossomed from an angry boy into a competent, compassionate young man.

The hardest part to accept was that his growth wasn't due to her, but to Relena.

_Guess I wasn't much good, after all. Maybe he didn't need a mentor. Maybe he really just needed an equal, a friend. Someone who understood him. Someone his own age, who could relate and share his interests._

Sally had thought that she might have been the one to meet some of those criteria. Being half Chinese, having fought in the wars herself, she had hoped to befriend him as well as become his superior. Instead, it seemed Relena had found the tiny gaps within Wu Fei's heart and inserted herself before anyone had even realized it.

_It's pointless to be jealous of Relena, _ Sally chided herself. _She has a power that we can only attempt to comprehend. Comparing myself to her is unfair, like comparing myself to a saint, or an angel. I'm too mortal, too flawed, and too human, _ she smirked darkly at her own thoughts.

_Still . . . I would have liked the chance . . ._

Sally shook her head again, banishing the thoughts. _Forty-five minutes to Bracciano. Time to study my new identity. _She took out a medical textbook on basic first aid, and began flipping through it. It was a good distraction from unhappy thoughts and unavoidable conclusions. She needed to brush up on her first aid, anyway.

And if a small piece of her died every time she opened her wallet to find the photograph of Wu Fei missing, she wouldn't admit it, even to herself.


End file.
